Department for Transport

Trains: Diesel Fuel

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with the rail freight industry on the level of power required efficiently to haul freight before he announced the withdrawal of diesel traction in 2040; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: There is regular engagement between my Department and the rail freight industry on a wide range of subjects, including on air quality and decarbonisation issues. I have written to the rail industry asking it to report back outlining how my challenge can be achieved in order to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions, and I understand that industry has established a task force to deal with this matter which includes senior representation from the rail freight sector.

Department for Transport: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport (DfT) is made up of a number of constituent parts including DVLA, DVSA, Government Car Service, Maritime and Coastguard Agency as well as DfT(c). In answering the question, we have taken “IT System” to mean “the entirety of a logical contained set-up consisting of associated hardware and software”. DFT has: 15 Systems over 3 years old 33 Systems over 5 years old 62 Systems over 8 years old DFT ensures that all systems, regardless of age, are protected.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to help them with the repair and maintenance of potholes.

Jesse Norman: The Government is providing local highway authorities in England, outside London, with just over £6 billion for local highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. This funding includes a Pothole Action Fund, which totals £296 million between 2016 and 2021 to allow authorities to repair potholes or stop them forming in the first place. The Department for Transport announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking an innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best use of new technology in the highways sector. The Government also announced in March 2018 that it is investing more than £900,000 in innovations using connected vehicles to help councils more efficiently manage and plan maintenance works. These trials will ultimately help provide councils with data to enable them to repair potholes before they occur as well as maintain their other assets more effectively as part of their asset management plans. This will help prevent further potholes and other road defects occurring over time. The Department for Transport is also providing funding to the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to work on technological and innovative improvements to future-proof the local road network.

Transport: Colne Valley

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to invest in strategic transport infrastructure in the Colne Valley constituency.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is spending over £13bn from 2015 up to 2020 to transform transport across the North. Investments that benefit the Colne Valley constituency include the planned upgrade of the M62 to Smart Motorway between Junction 20 (Rochdale) and Junction 25 (Brighouse), which is due to start construction before 2019/20. On rail, we are spending £2.6m to lengthen the platforms at Slaithwaite and Marsden, so they can accommodate the longer 5-car Northern services that are due to enter service after the May 2018 timetable change. Between 2019 and 2024, the Department will invest £3 billion to upgrade the Transpennine Route and it is working with Network Rail and Rail North to determine how this can deliver significant benefits for passengers. A phased introduction of improvements is planned from 2022.

Community Transport: Licensing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his plans are for the future of the community transport permit system.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure community transport operators are not adversely affected by any changes to the community transport permit system.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the future of the community transport permit system.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Community Transport Association on the community transport permit system.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support volunteer drivers in community transport operators.

Jesse Norman: The Government is currently consulting on the issue and use of the Transport Act’s 1985 s19 and s22 permits and has no plans to end the current permit system. The Government’s commitment to supporting the sector remains as strong as ever.Within the existing legal framework, the Department wants as many community transport providers as possible to continue to operate, and retain, service provision for vulnerable community transport passengers. While it remains a member of the European Union, the UK is under a legal obligation to obey EU law. Although the Department cannot guarantee that operators will not be affected, we are interpreting the exemptions in the EU Regulation 1071/2009 as widely as legally possible to minimise the scale of any impacts on operators. Any impacts on individual operators will depend on their specific circumstances and the decisions that they take to comply with the Regulation. The consultation is also seeking examples of operating models that community transport operators may be able to use to mitigate the Regulation’s impact. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is taking a proportionate approach to enforcement as operators adjust. The Department is also making available £250,000 to support community transport organisations, and this may be used to assist drivers. I met the Chief Executive of the Community Transport Association UK IN September 2017 to discuss Regulation 1071/2009 and its potential effect on the community transport sector, have spoken to him since and expect to meet with him again shortly. Officials continue to liaise with the CTA regularly, and with the Directors of CTA Wales and CTA Scotland who attended the Department’s recent consultation events. Departmental officials also regularly liaise with their Welsh Government counterparts, and they worked together to hold a consultation event on 20 April in Treforest.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) maximum and (b) average level of attenuation will be achieved by noise barriers on High Speed 2.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Noise barriers can be very effective in reducing railway noise. Their attenuation is determined by a variety of factors such as; their dimensions, their design, the nature of the noise sources and the spatial relationship between the barrier, the sources and the receiver. By way of illustration the information in the table below, which was provided to the House of Commons select committee considering the Phase 2a Bill, shows attenuation values predicted for noise fence barriers that are 3 and 5 metres high under the conditions shown in the table. Noise mitigation has not yet been designed in detail but as the design of the railway proceeds noise control measures will be determined to ensure the Environmental Minimum Requirements, as set out with respect to airborne operational noise in HS2 Phase One Information Papers E9 and E20, are met.Airborne noise levels from HS2 showing predicted noise fence barrier performance:  Distance, mSpeed, km/h (mph)LpAFMax, dB Attenuation, dB(A)HS2 train (on slab track)150360 (225)84N/AHS2 train with 3m barrier (on slab track)150360 (225)7212HS2 train 5m barrier (on slab track)150360 (225)6717

Bus Services: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve bus services in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Nottinghamshire.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services. We are working with local authorities to determine which of the powers provided are best able to support bus networks in their areas. In particular, new Enhanced Partnership and Advanced Quality Partnership powers provide the framework for authorities to work side by side with operators to set a shared vision for bus services in their area. Bus Open Data powers will require bus operators in England to open up route and timetable, fares and tickets and real time information for passengers by 2020. These improvements aim to remove uncertainty in bus journeys, improve journey planning and help passengers secure best value tickets. Accessible Information powers will require all operators of local bus services to provide audio and visual route and next stop announcements on board buses across Great Britain, helping to remove barriers to bus travel particularly for those with disabilities or accessibility needs. The Government also continues to invest in public transport. City regions in the East Midlands and Nottinghamshire with workday populations above around 200,000 people are eligible to submit proposals for a share of the remaining £840m from the Transforming Cities Fund to improve public transport in their cities.

Highway Code

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to update the Highway Code.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently updating The Highway Code to reflect the changes made to legislation regarding learner drivers on motorways and on remote control parking.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals on pavement parking.

Jesse Norman: Local authorities already have powers to restrict pavement parking. However, the Department for Transport is currently gathering evidence on the issue of pavement parking, and will be considering the effectiveness of current legislation. We expect to be able to draw conclusions later this year.

Department of Transport: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of his Department's invitations to tender have received no bidders in the last two years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of invitations to tender that have received no bidders in the last two years are as follows: DfTc4DVLA2DVSA1VCA0MCA2

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role Network Rail has in the rail franchising process; and what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Network Rail in carrying out that role.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the role of Network Rail in the rail franchise process to improve the coordination of (a) rail operations and (b) infrastructure delivery.

Joseph Johnson: Network Rail are embedded in the rail franchising process throughout, including through the secondment of Network Rail staff to franchise project teams to provide a clear conduit for Network Rail advice and expertise. With the publication of the Strategic Vision for Rail in November 2017, the Secretary of State set out plans to ‘end the operational divide between track and train and to establish a new generation of integrated regional rail operations’.a) Joining up operational and communication teams between Network Rail and Train Operating Companies will improve performance, communication with passengers and restoration of services after disruption. Bringing Network Rail and the TOC closer together would mean they run better on a day-to-day basis, and would make it easier to meet the challenges today’s network faces. b) TOCs are best placed to understand the needs of passengers and therefore to develop plans for improving rail infrastructure that will secure the greatest benefits for passengers. Both the infrastructure manager and train operator would work together with a shared vision. Giving TOCs a role in infrastructure (working closely with Network Rail) will prompt them to act as stewards for the rail network and win greatest possible benefits for passengers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of delivering the High Speed 2 programme; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd are committed to delivering the High Speed Rail programme within the funding envelope of £55.7bn (2015 prices). HS2 Ltd remain focussed on challenging programme costs, actively seeking to deliver the absolute best value for money to the UK tax payer.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the ability of the (a) Greater Anglia and (b) South Western rail franchises to (i) provide and (ii) deliver new train services under their franchise agreements.

Joseph Johnson: The Greater Anglia and South Western Railway Franchise Agreements set out the requirements to deliver new train services. Both operators are following the normal rail industry timetable development processes. Delivery of Franchise Agreement obligations are subject to on-going monitoring and discussion with the Train Operators. This is part of the Department’s routine Franchise management of these contracts.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of (a) First Group and (b) Trenitalia on the level of competitiveness in the bidding process for the next East Midlands Trains franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The FirstGroup and Trenitalia joint venture was one of four companies shortlisted to run the next East Midlands franchise. We have received notification from First Group about their intention to withdraw from the East Midlands franchise competition to focus on their joint bid for the West Coast Partnership. We are confident that we will have a robust and competitive process with the remaining three bidders.

Highways England

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the (a) affordability and (b) efficiency of the work for which Highways England is responsible of its decision to in-source more of that work; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Highways England assessed the potential effect on affordability and efficiency when designing the recently introduced model for management of the Strategic Road Network, which involves in-sourcing the decision-making for investment planning, routine maintenance and operational management. Taking question (b) on efficiency first, Highways England expects to deliver cost efficiencies of about 12% when compared to the previous approach. The largest saving is from no longer needing to pay fees to the lead suppliers for management of their supply chain. The second largest saving is from staff headcount reductions by integrating the former Service Provider staff into Highway England’s structure. This is through the removal of duplicated roles and a layer of management. Turning to question (a) on affordability, Highways England expects the cost savings described in the answer to question (b) will begin to exceed the upfront transition costs within the first 4 years of operating the new model. Once the upfront transition costs have passed and with cost savings from efficiencies, the new model is expected to be more affordable than the previous approach.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government undertook its sampling to establish which roads would be included in the Major Road Network.

Jesse Norman: The approach to defining roads included in the indicative Major Road Network (MRN) is explained in the Department’s consultation document published in December 2017. It includes a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, building on the network that was published in the Rees Jeffrey Road Fund Report (October 2016). The network in the Rees Jeffrey Road Fund Report was based on the road network as of 6th April 2017 and traffic levels in 2014. The Department intends to update this information before deciding on the final network, to ensure that it is based on up to date data.

Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Rail Franchise

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the second remedial plan for the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise will be published before the new timetable is introduced in May 2018.

Joseph Johnson: Changes which the second remedial plan agreement makes to the TSGN Franchise Agreement will be incorporated and published on the GOV.UK website in due course. Certain provisions may be exempt from disclosure in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Databases

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) external data analysts and (b) data collection companies his Department has used in each of the last five years.

Richard Harrington: Assuming the term “data collection companies” is primarily aimed at firms which have developed or maintained some kind of database to which BEIS has access; the following list of company subscriptions have been taken out or renewed since the start of FY17/18: BankSearch; BDRC Continental; Beauhurst; BoardEx; Capital IQ; Crunchbase; Dun & Bradstreet; Experian; GTAP; ICIS; IHS Markitt; Manifest; Navigant; Pitchbook; Springwise. If the “collection” term is widened to more general activities then this would encompass many more companies including Ipsos MORI, NATCEN, Neisr, Mint UK (Bureau van Dijk) etc.

New Businesses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much financial support his Department provided to help people start up businesses in 2017.

Andrew Griffiths: Our Industrial Strategy aims to make Britain the best place to start and grow a business. Programmes operated by the government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) are supporting £4 billion of finance to over 65,000 smaller businesses (as at end Sept 2017). This includes funding from the Start Up Loans programme which made 8,551 loans in the 2017-18 Financial Year, totalling £104m. Since its inception in 2012, the Start Up Loans programme has lent over £400m, making over 54,000 loans. We also offer support for SMEs across a broad range of sectors to tackle barriers to growth. The Government also provides support to start-up businesses across England through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. In addition, in 2017-2018 we have provided £12m of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to enable them to provide tailored support and advice to start-ups and existing businesses through their network of Growth Hubs.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to protect the public purse from (a) risks and (b) liabilities during the construction of new nuclear power stations.

Richard Harrington: The Government signed a Contract for Difference with EDF and CGN in September 2016. Under this agreement, the developer will fund the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and bear associated risks and liabilities. Through this placement of construction related risks with the developer, the public purse is protected from the risks and liabilities arising from the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. The Department laid a minute on 21 October 2015 outlining the liabilities that would be incurred by entering in to the contracts for Hinkley Point C. The minute can be found at:http://qna.files.parliament.uk/qna-attachments/425357%5Coriginal%5C20151021%20Minute%20to%20Parliament%20HPC%20contingent%20liabilities.docx The Government continues to engage with other developers on their proposals for new nuclear power stations, including financing. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will undertake to run a full public consultation prior to the use of any (a) loan guarantees from Government and (b) direct public funds to support the new nuclear programme.

Richard Harrington: As set out in our response to the NAO’s report on Hinkley Point C, which recommended that the Government should consider alternative options for financing new nuclear, the Government will assess a range of possible financing structures. Until these assessments are complete, it would not be appropriate to answer this question further.

Wylfa Power Station: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department is considering any funding options to support the new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd, Wales, and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: As set out in our response to the NAO’s report on Hinkley Point C, which recommended that the Government should consider alternative options for financing new nuclear, the Government will assess a range of possible financing structures.

Wylfa Power Station: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Japan on the project finances for the proposed new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government regularly engages with new build developers and has met counterparts in Japan on a range of issues relevant to delivering new nuclear projects, including financing. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Wylfa Power Station: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what evidence his Department holds on the reliability of the performance of the advanced boiling water reactors being considered for the proposed new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Nuclear power is a proven technology with modern reactors capable of reliably producing low-carbon electricity. Any new activity in the UK involving ionising radiation must first go through a process of regulatory Justification. This process requires that the overall societal benefits associated with the activity outweigh any potential health detriments. For any application involving a nuclear power station, the reliability of the proposed design and implications for energy security are carefully considered. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State in December 2014 decided that the UK ABWR – the technology proposed by Horizon Nuclear Power for deployment at Wylfa Newydd – was Justified for use in the UK. This decision followed a robust assessment of the application, and periods of consultation on both the application and proposed decision. The full decision is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-justification-of-practices-involving-ionising-radiation-regulations-2004, with Chapter 5 specifically addressing the topics of energy security and reliability. Further, in December 2017 the independent UK nuclear regulators granted design acceptance for the UK ABWR technology.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in South Korea on (a) new nuclear power in the UK and (b) funding options for the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government regularly engages with new build developers and has met counterparts in the Republic of Korea on a range of issues relevant to delivering new nuclear projects, including financing. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) reliability of financial backers for the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government regularly engages with new build developers and has met counterparts overseas on a range of issues relevant to delivering new nuclear projects, including financing. These discussions are commercially sensitive.

Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his Chinese (a) counterpart and (b) representatives of the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation on the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: In December, Toshiba selected South Korean KEPCO as the preferred bidder for NuGen, the developer of the Moorside project. Throughout the sale process, we have engaged with the relevant parties to discuss the implications of any potential change in ownership of the company, and continue to do so. The details of these discussions are commercially sensitive.

Business: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support local businesses in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Andrew Griffiths: Small and medium-sized businesses across England can access support through GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. Over the last three years, Government has also supported and invested in the creation of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local EnterprisePartnership area), providing businesses across England with tailored advice and support. To date, Growth Hubs have engaged and supported over 570,000 businesses, delivered 68,000 diagnostic interventions and helped 11,391 individuals to start a business. Since launch, the six Growth Hubs in the West Midlands have supported over 37,500 businesses; delivered over 2,200 intensive diagnostics; and helped over 1,850 individuals to start a business. Of these, the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub has supported over 2,530 businesses; delivered 380 intensive diagnostics and helped 415 individuals to start a business. In addition, the recently launched £250 million Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), provides finance to help smaller business across the Midlands to start up and grow, helping realise the region’s potential to achieve economic growth through enterprise. As at March 2018, it had made 6 investments into 6 SMEs in the West Midlands with £203k invested. Aligned to this, the Midlands Engine Strategy sets out our actions to date and the next steps to deliver our vision for the Midlands by tackling local productivity barriers. This includes; £392m for Midland's projects to accelerate local growth, bringing the total Growth Deal Funding for the Midlands to nearly £1.9 billion, a flagship £20 million Midlands Skills Challenge to improve skills across the Midlands, £4 million to support the Midlands Engine Partnership to deepen their excellent work. Furthermore, programmes operated by the government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) are supporting £4 billion of finance to over 65,000 smaller businesses (as at end Sept 2017). Since the launch of the British Business Bank in November 2014, its programmes have facilitated over £607m to businesses in the West Midlands. Of this figure, over £75m has supported businesses in Coventry*. Additionally, since 2012, the Start-up Loans programme has made over 4,500 loans totalling over £31m in the West Midlands, this includes 244 loans totalling over £1.5m in Coventry**. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will continue to back small and medium-sized business to grow and create jobs by providing an environment in which they can thrive. *BBB figures minus SUL are as at end of December 2017** SUL figures at end of December 2017

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of his Department's invitations to tender have received no bidders in the last two years.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Insurance: Liability

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has considered the implications for the public liability claims handling process of the non-disclosure by organisations of their public liability insurer.

Andrew Griffiths: At present, prospective claimants may be able to obtain information about insurance cover held by a prospective defendant under the Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 2010 if the defendant is insolvent or in other similar circumstances covered by that Act and under Part 31 of the Civil Procedure Rules, which permits the court to order the pre-action disclosure of documents in appropriate cases. The Government does not have any plans to change the law in this area.

Toys and Games: Safety

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for the continuation of CE safety and quality marking on British-made toys after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: A CE marking indicates that a product conforms to the requirements set out in the relevant EU legislation. In some cases the product will also have been tested by a third-party body before the manufacturer labels the product with a CE marking. The Government’s priority is to keep people safe and we are currently considering options regarding CE marking for goods sold in the UK after the UK leaves the EU. As the PM set out in her Mansion House speech, our aim is to ensure that products only need to undergo one series of approvals, in one country, to show that they meet the required regulatory standards. The Government will continue to work closely with a wide range of businesses to ensure their views are represented as we progress our work on future options regarding CE marking.

Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's policy is on the maintenance of the provisions of the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government takes the issue of consumer product safety extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that only safe products, including personal protective equipment, is placed on the UK market now and in the future. The safety requirements that personal protective equipment must meet that are based on EU law will be retained through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This means that, on day 1 after exit, personal protective equipment will only be able to be sold on the UK market if it meets the same safety requirements as it does now.

Gas Appliances (Enforcement) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2018

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the maintenance of the Gas Appliances (Enforcement) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2018 after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government takes the issue of consumer product safety extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that only safe products, including gas appliances, are placed on the UK market now and in the future. The safety requirements that gas appliances must meet that are based on EU law will be retained through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This means that, on day 1 after exit, gas appliances will only be able to be sold on the UK market if they meet the same safety requirements as they do now.

Small Businesses: Insolvency

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to classify small businesses as preferential creditors in cases of (a) insolvency and (b) bankruptcy; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: Certain debts, mostly relating to employees’ remuneration or pension scheme entitlements, are paid before other categories of creditor when a company enters liquidation or administration or an individual becomes bankrupt. Giving small businesses a similar preferential status would reduce the level of returns for other groups of creditors affected by an insolvency, potentially including a reduction in the returns received by existing preferential creditors such as employees. The Government therefore does not intend to change the status of debts owed to small businesses in insolvencies. In the recently-published Insolvency and Corporate Governance consultation, Government has proposed removing or increasing the current £600,000 cap on the proportion of funds realised from assets subject to floating charge security in a liquidation, administration or administrative receivership that can be ring-fenced and paid to unsecured creditors (known as the “prescribed part”). Doing so would increase returns to unsecured creditors, including small businesses, without changing their status.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of multilateral progress towards nuclear non-proliferation.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK remains committed to the long term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. We firmly believe that the best way to achieve this is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The near-universal NPT has played an unparalleled role in curtailing the nuclear arms race. The UK will attend the next Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in April 2018 where we will use that forum to engage with a wide range of states on how we can together tackle the challenges that we face on non-proliferation and disarmament.

Algeria: Churches

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 119188, what response he has received from the Algerian authorities on the closure of that church.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about church closures in Algeria, including the one near Oran city in November 2017. We are in close touch with the Protestant Church of Algeria about the closures. I met members of the Church on 23 April. The Church has raised the closures with the Algerian Ministry of Interior, and we also stand ready to raise them with the Algerian authorities, should the Church wish us to do so. The promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief is an important priority for the Government. The Minister for the Commonwealth and UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the importance of Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs in October 2017, and our Ambassador in Algeria followed up this conversation, with the Minister of Religious Affairs, in January.

Gaza: Visits abroad

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what dates officials of his Department visited Gaza to inspect (a) hospitals and (b) other other medical facilities.since 30 March 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have visited Gaza twice since 30 March, on 8 and 22 April. Neither of these visits included a visit to either a hospital or medical facility.

Israel: Palestinians

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations has he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the use of live fire against Palestinian demonstrators since 30 March 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​I raised the use and volume of live fire agianst the Palestinian demostrators with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 19 April. Our Ambassador to Israel discussed this issue with the Head of Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories on 24 April. The Minister for Human Rights also raised this issue during his visit to Israel on 11 April with the Israeli Minister for Regional Co-operation and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Gaza: Health Services

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to representatives of the Egyptian government on the granting of permits to residents in Gaza who need medical treatment that can only be provided outside of Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the Egyptian authorities. This includes the impact of the closure of the Egypt-Gaza border on the population of Gaza. Our Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Cairo raised this with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 12 April. We encourage Egypt to be as flexible as possible with regard to access to the Rafah border crossing, including for Palestinians in need of medical treatment.​

Department of Health and Social Care

Wheelchairs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on providing electric wheelchairs for NHS patients.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Wheelchair Services are responsible for the provision of wheelchairs, including electric wheelchairs, and are commissioned through clinical commissioning groups. Determination of the entitlement an individual has in respect of wheelchairs, or any other mobility equipment, is decided following assessment by the local NHS Wheelchair Service. Each Service will have its own assessment criteria and procedures in place in respect of eligibility for individual mobility equipment. Further information in relation to wheelchair and mobility services, including details in respect of all local NHS Wheelchair Services, can be located via the NHS Choices website at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support/mobility-equipment-wheelchairs-scooters/

Anticoagulants

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the timetable for the publication of the outcome of the review on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre.

Caroline Dinenage: The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre are concluding their rapid overview of review evidence on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines. Once concluded, the report will be sent for peer review as part of standard process. It will be published once the scientific quality has been assured.

Anticoagulants

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taken to ensure that the (a) views and (b) experiences of (i) stakeholders, (ii) patients and (iii) clinicians, are included in the review of the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre.

Caroline Dinenage: The literature review commissioned from the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre was intended to assess the clinical evidence published since 2014 on the efficacy, safety, and patient experience of warfarin and direct oral anti coagulants, to guide decision making among National Health Service commissioners, clinicians and patients. It included reviews of stakeholder experiences, including patients and practitioners. The review will be used to inform future policy and identify what additional evidence might be required.

Department of Health and Social Care: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has introduced 15 regulations as a result of European Union legislation since 23 June 2016 to date. In 2018, we expect to introduce a further three regulations. In 2019, we currently do not expect to introduce any regulations. However, the exact number is subject to ongoing negotiations. All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found at the following link: www.legislation.gov.uk

Autism: Children

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government programmes that assist low-income families who are supporting children with autism.

Caroline Dinenage: No recent assessment has been made by this Department of the effectiveness of Government programmes in specifically assisting low-income families with autistic children. The special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms in the Children’s and Families Act 2014 have brought benefits for all autistic children and young people and their families by providing for a system of support across education, health and social care to ensure that services are organised with the needs and preferences of the child and their family at the centre of the process. Reforms introduced by the Act include the publication of local offers of SEND services by local authorities, the introduction of streamlined education, health and care needs assessments and Education, Health and Care Plans, which set out in one place the support from education, health and care services children and young people will receive. Since May 2016, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have been inspecting local areas on their effectiveness in fulfilling their new duties for children with SEND. All 152 local areas in England will be inspected over a period of five years. We have included autism indicators on diagnosis and post-diagnostic outcomes in the Mental Health Services Dataset, with data collected from 1 April 2018. This will bring more transparency to the process, provide more accurate data on performance nationally and help drive up performance.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of funding required to raise awareness of the potential health risks for women of child-bearing age of taking Sodium Valproate.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been working in partnership with the Department, professional bodies and the healthcare system to bring together a package of measures to raise awareness of the significant risks associated with sodium valproate in pregnancy and to support healthcare professionals in changing prescribing behaviour and therefore reducing the harms from valproate in women of child-bearing age. All parties involved are fully committed to the implementation of the new regulatory position using the existing funds of each relevant organisation. The new measures include updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients and will be communicated through the MHRA bulletin and letters to healthcare professionals through the National Health Service Central Alerting System. The information cascade will be supported by messages from professional bodies, charities and patient groups to their constituents and reinforced through changes to clinical guidelines and improved alerts on General Practitioner prescribing systems. The effectiveness of the new measures in changing prescribing of valproate will be closely monitored. Relevant data will be published and there will be ongoing follow up to ensure that the harms to the child from valproate in pregnancy are minimised.

Speech Therapy: Children

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in waiting times to access children’s speech and language therapy services.

Caroline Dinenage: No assessment has been made of recent trends in waiting times to access children’s speech and language therapy services as this data is not reported centrally. There are no mandated referral to treatment times for speech and language therapy services. Local commissioners have responsibility for assessing the needs of their local population, and arranging services to meet those needs.

Speech Therapy

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the role of speech and language therapy services in developing communication and literacy skills.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Education and Public Health England to enable early years professionals to identify and support children’s early speech, language and communication needs. In an exchange of letters with the former Minister of State for Children and Families (Robert Goodwill MP) last November, the Department agreed to ensure that we and Public Health England prioritise the required activities to support the social mobility action plan launched in December 2017. Detailed work is ongoing between the Department for Education and Public Health England.

Motor Vehicles: Disability

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the statutory definition is of a disability access vehicle; and whether that definition is different to a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Caroline Dinenage: The Commission Regulation EU/678/2011, which amends EU Directive 2007/46/EC, defines a wheelchair accessible vehicle as a vehicle of Category M1 constructed or converted specifically so that they accommodate one or more persons seated in their wheelchairs when travelling on the road. The Road Vehicle (Approval) Regulations 2009, which implement Directive 2007/46/EC in the United Kingdom, define a disabled person’s vehicle as a vehicle constructed or adapted to enable a person with a disability to travel in the vehicle as a driver or a passenger, in safety and reasonable comfort.

Neuromusclular Disorders: Salford

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to recruit a clinical nurse specialist to support adults in the neuromuscular service at Salford Royal NHS Trust.

Stephen Barclay: It is for local National Health Service organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses. Salford Royal NHS Trust advises that, in line with its approach to the caring and support for patients with muscle disease, it is currently investing in the clinical workforce to support the service. The Trust currently has a Specialist Nurse in the peripheral nerve and muscle service. The Department is making significant investment in nurse training. In order to meet the growing need to increase the future supply of registered nurses additional clinical placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This will make around 5,000 more nurse training places available each year from September 2018; an historic increase.

Lipoedema

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of Lipedema to the (a) NHS and (b) economy in lost working days in the last twelve months.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no estimate on the cost of Lipedema to the National Health Service and to the economy.

Postnatal Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the General Medical Contract includes a requirement for GP practices to undertake a check of a baby but not a mother at six weeks post-natally despite guidance by NICE that a new mother's physical emotional and social well being should be reviewed at that time; and if he will take steps to ensure that such a check of a mother is undertaken at that time.

Steve Brine: The General Medical Service contract sets out that where a general practitioner (GP) practice provides maternity medical services, the practice is required to provide to female patients and their babies all necessary maternity medical services throughout the postnatal period other than neonatal checks. The GP contract regulations define the postnatal period as “the period beginning with the conclusion of the delivery of the baby or the patient’s discharge from secondary care services (whichever is the later) and ending on the fourteenth day after the birth”. Any changes to GP contracting arrangements to specifically include a six week postnatal check-up would need to be negotiated with the General Practitioners’ Committee of the British Medical Association as part of the annual contract negotiations.

Hospices

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed NHS pay increases on voluntary sector hospices.

Stephen Barclay: The proposed Agenda for Change pay framework, which includes contract reform and pay awards over three years, is currently out to consultation with the National Health Service trades unions and the outcome will be known in June. We are considering carefully the impact of the agreement on non-NHS organisations such as hospices who may be affected by the proposed deal however no decisions have been made. Staff in hospices do a fantastic job in delivering world-class care and the Department remains fully committed to improving palliative and end of life care.

Life Expectancy: Males

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Office for National Statistics data on life expectancy, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in life expectancy at birth for males between 2009-11 and 2014-16 in the local authority areas of (a) Torridge, (b) Brentwood, (c) Exeter, (d) Bromsgrove, (e) Denbighshire and (f) Vale of Glamorgan.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in life expectancy for females at age 65 between 2009-11 and 2014-16 in the local authority areas of (a) Poole, (b) Southampton, (c) Cheltenham, (d) Lancaster, (e) South Holland, (f) Woking, (g) Stevenage, (h) Fermanagh and (i) Omagh.

Steve Brine: Life expectancy for males at birth, in each of these six local authorities was lower in 2014-16 than in 2009-11. The smallest decrease was in Vale of Glamorgan (0.5 years) and the largest in Bromsgrove and Torridge (both 0.9 years). None of these changes were statistically significant.Between these two time points, male life expectancy at birth for both England and the United Kingdom as a whole increased by 0.8 years. Life expectancy for females at age 65, in each of these eight local authorities life expectancy was lower in 2014-16 than in 2009-11. The smallest decreases were in Poole, Southampton and Fermanagh and Omagh (all 0.4 years) and the largest was in Stevenage (0.8 years). However, none of these changes were statistically significant. Between these two time points, female life expectancy at age 65 for both England and the UK as a whole increased by 0.3 years. Care needs to be taken when analysing and interpreting local authority data as their small populations mean their life expectancy is subject to fluctuations from year to year. Public Health England (PHE) is working with academic partners to produce a model to help determine underlying trends in life expectancy for all English local authorities. This model will take into account the revised population estimates recently issued by the Office for National Statistics. PHE expects to be able to report on the results of this analysis later in 2018.

Fast Food: Advertising

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to give local authorities the power to (a) remove junk food advertisements from billboards outside schools and (b) place limits on the opening of fast food takeaways near schools.

Steve Brine: Local authorities already have a range of planning powers to create healthier environments in their local area, both through their local plan and by taking individual planning decisions. In July 2017 the Government updated the ‘Planning Practice Guidance on health and wellbeing’ to provide clearer guidance on how to use planning and the planning system to create healthier food environments, including in respect of hot food takeaways. The National Planning Policy Framework already makes it clear that health objectives should be taken into account by local planning authorities when developing planning policy. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework. This draft includes strengthened public health policy reflecting discussion with Public Health England. The ‘Planning Practice Guidance on health and wellbeing’ is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/health-and-wellbeing

Health Services: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts and healthcare organisations there are in (a) East Sussex, (b) West Sussex and (c) Sussex; and what the respective tasks are of those trusts and organisations.

Stephen Barclay: The information requested is as follows: There are four NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and two acute National Health Service trusts that serve the populations of East Sussex. The four CCGs are as follows:- Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG);- NHS Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford CCG;- NHS Hastings and Rother CCG; and- High Weald Lewes and Havens CCG. CCGs are responsible for making sure that the people they serve have access to the healthcare services they need. They do this by commissioning (buying) health services from healthcare providers. Together with their partners they make sure that resources are used efficiently and effectively to deliver the best possible health outcomes for their population. The two Acute NHS trusts are as follows: Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is an acute teaching hospital working across two main sites. It provides district general hospital services to its local populations in and around the Brighton and Hove, Mid Sussex and the western part of East Sussex and more specialised and tertiary services for patients across Sussex and the south east of England. East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides acute hospital and community health services for people living in East Sussex and surrounding areas. The Trust offers a comprehensive range of surgical, medical and maternity services supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services. There are three NHS CCGs and three acute NHS trusts that serve the populations of West Sussex. The three CCGs are as follows:- NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG;- Crawley CCG; and- Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG. The three acute NHS trusts are as follows: Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (QVH) has links with the operational delivery network for cancer and trauma care covering Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. In addition, QVH is involved in a number of multidisciplinary teams throughout the region. Queen Victoria Hospital is a regional and national centre for maxillofacial, reconstructive plastic and corneoplastic surgery, as well as for the treatment of burns. It is a surgical centre for skin cancer and for head and neck cancer and provides microvascular reconstruction services for breast cancer patients following, or in association with, mastectomy. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is an acute trust formed on 1 April 1998, as a result of a merger between the East Surrey Healthcare NHS Trust and Crawley Horsham NHS Trust. It provides healthcare services to a growing population of around 535,000. The Trust has extensive, modern facilities including Magnetic Resonance Imagining and Computerised Tomography scanners, intensive and coronary care units and is the designated major incident centre for Gatwick Airport. Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of around 450,000 people across a catchment area covering most of West Sussex. The Trust became an NHS Foundation Trust on 1 July 2013, just over four years after the organisation was created by a merger of the Royal West Sussex and Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trusts. One community NHS trust, two Mental Health NHS foundation trusts and one ambulance NHS foundation trust serve the populations of both East and West Sussex.   Sussex Community NHS Trust is the main provider of community NHS health and care across West Sussex, Brighton and Hove and High Weald Lewes Havens area of East Sussex It provides community rehabilitation and support for people with complex health needs and long-term conditions or people needing end of life care. It also provides:- Intermediate care, offering short term recovery and rehabilitation;- Health promotion, supporting people to improve health and wellbeing; and- Coordinated and flexible service for families and children. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides NHS care and treatment for children, young people and adults of all ages living in south east England. Its mental health services provide care and treatment for people with conditions such as psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorder. Its specialist learning disability services provide community and inpatient care for people with complex health needs which can’t be met by other services. The Trust provides care in people’s homes, in specialist clinics, hospitals, general practitioner surgeries and prisons. Similarly, a single NHS Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust serves the populations of both East and West Sussex. Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire and drug and alcohol services in Surrey, Hounslow and Brighton. The Trust’s core purpose is to work with people and lead communities in improving their mental and physical health and wellbeing for a better life; through delivering excellent and responsive prevention, diagnosis, early intervention, treatment and care. South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust responds to 999 calls from the public, urgent calls from healthcare professionals and provide NHS 111 services across the region. The Trust covers a geographical area of 3,600 square miles (Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey, and North East Hampshire).

Hospices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from the hospice movement on the effect of the proposed pay increases for NHS staff; and if he will make a statement.

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from the hospice movement on the effect of the proposed increases in NHS pay; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received two written representations from the hospice sector; raising concerns about the potential increase in their costs if they choose to increase pay in line with the proposed Agenda for Change pay rates. The Secretary of State has received one letter from a group of Chief Executives representing Hospice UK, Marie Curie and Together for Short Lives. He has also received representation from St John’s Hospice, Lancaster.

Hospices: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans for voluntary hospices to be able to access the additional government funding being set aside to fund the proposed NHS pay increases.

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans for voluntary hospices to be able to access the additional government funding being set aside to fund the proposed NHS pay increases.

Stephen Barclay: National Health Service trades unions are currently consulting their members on the proposed Agenda for Change pay framework, which includes contract reform and pay awards over three years. We expect the outcome of the consultation exercise by early June. We are considering carefully the impact of any agreement on non-NHS organisations such as hospices that may be affected by the proposed deal; however no decisions have been made. Staff in hospices do a fantastic job in delivering world-class care and the Department remains fully committed to improving palliative and end of life care.

Dental Health: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March to Question 133805, on Dental Health: Children, how many and what proportion of local authorities have (a) toothbrushing programmes and (b) community fluoride varnish schemes; and if he will list the local authorities which have such programmes.

Steve Brine: Information on how many and what proportion of local authorities have toothbrushing or community fluoride varnish programmes in place are not held in the format requested. In England, local authorities are responsible for assessing the oral health needs of their local population, developing oral health strategies and commissioning oral health improvement programmes to meet the needs of their local population.

Accident and Emergency Departments: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for patients in A&E in the North East of England in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Barclay: The mean and median duration to assessment (minutes), duration to treatment (minutes) and duration to departure (minutes) for the North East Government Office Region (GOR) are provided in the attached tables. The data shows performance for all providers in the GOR, as well as an overall summary of the GOR. This is for the 2016-17 financial year, which are the last 12 months of available validated data.



PQ137541 attached table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 43.62 KB)

Attorney General

Attorney General: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of his Department's estate is (a) rented, (b) owned and (c) occupied through any other type of agreement.

Robert Buckland: Holding answer received on 27 March 2018



The Government Legal Department (GLD) does not own any estate but rents all of its office space. GLD teams co-located with their client teams occupy client building space as part of an overall fee agreement for the provision of legal services to clients.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) estate is comprised of 42 buildings with the types of occupation shown in the table below. The HMCPSI estate is included as part of this.Type of OccupationNumber of BuildingsSquare MetersFreehold/Owned24,426 (7%)Commercial Lease2752,991 (78%)Licence to occupy1310,404 (15%)The Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO’s) estates have always been rented either by a lease agreement, or a Civil Estate Occupancy Agreement (MOTO). The SFO’s current estate is leased. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) estate is also leased.

Attorney General: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2018 to Question 123531, on Attorney General: Procurement, if he will list (a) the suppliers of and (b) the purpose of the (i) the Government Legal Department's contracts with the eight strategic suppliers (ii) the CPS's six contracts with strategic suppliers, (iii) the Serious Fraud Office's three contracts with strategic suppliers and (iv) Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate's contracts with which two strategic suppliers.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General's Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Law

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has held discussions with other Ministers on the process by which EU regulations and directives will enter into force during the implementation period after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: We regularly engage with Ministers on EU exit, including on the agreement on the implementation period. The Government does not comment on internal discussions with Ministers. The UK and the EU agreed in March, in the draft Withdrawal Agreement that, in most areas, EU law will continue to have the same legal effects in the UK as now during the implementation period, in order to provide continuity and certainty to businesses and citizens. The Government has been clear that the Withdrawal Agreement & Implementation Bill will be used to implement the major elements of the Withdrawal Agreement in domestic law. In order to ensure that the UK’s interests are protected during the implementation period, a Joint Committee will be established to provide the UK with a means to raise concerns regarding new laws, which we consider might be harmful to our interests. We have also agreed that the whole Withdrawal Agreement will be subject to an article of good faith, ensuring that both sides support each other in delivering the agreement.

Marine Protected Areas

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the UK will retain the exclusive use of the six-nautical-miles and 12-nautical-miles fishing zones during the proposed 21-month implementation period before the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: During the implementation period, the UK will no longer be a Member State of the European Union. In order to ensure a smooth transition and to give governments, businesses and citizens on both sides the time they need to prepare for our new relationship, we have agreed that common rules will remain in place during the implementation period. This includes the current arrangements on the management and access of the six-nautical-miles and 12-nautical miles fishing zones. Crucially, we have safeguarded the interests of our fishermen by ensuring that the UK’s share of catch cannot be reduced. In December 2020, we will be negotiating fishing opportunities as a third country and fully independent coastal state, deciding who can access our waters and on what terms for the first time in over 40 years.

Brexit

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136425 on Brexit, if he will make it his policy to include within that analysis information on the effect of the proposed deal between the UK and the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in our responses to Questions 134796 and 136425, the Government’s position is that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis on which to make an informed decision. We are meeting our commitment to keeping Parliament informed and allowing for proper scrutiny, and will continue to do so going forward.

Small Businesses: UK Trade With EU

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure that small and medium sized enterprises that  trade with the EU are not subject to high tariffs for that trade after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Braverman: A close trading relationship benefits both the UK and EU Member States, and we want the broadest and deepest possible partnership – covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. As the Prime Minister stated in her Mansion House speech, this means we do not want to see the introduction of any tariffs or quotas.

Trade Marks

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether UK trade mark attorneys will maintain rights of representation at the EU Intellectual Property Office during the transition period under the terms of the European Commission's draft withdrawal agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK and EU negotiating teams have reached agreement on the terms of an implementation period that will start on 30 March 2019 and last until 31 December 2020. As part of this, UK lawyers will maintain their rights of audience before EU courts. We are currently in discussions with the EU on the IP title of the Withdrawal Agreement, seeking to ensure that where intellectual property rights more generally are within the scope of separation discussions, the Withdrawal Agreement provides the greatest possible legal certainty for users, applicants, right holders and attorneys.

Data Protection

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when the Government plans to start the process of applying for an adequacy decision on data from the EU.

Suella Braverman: The UK has very high standards of data protection and recognises the need for, and is one of the leading drivers of, high data protection standards across the globe. As the Prime Minister said in both her Munich and Mansion House speeches, achieving a deal on data protection is one of the foundations that must underpin the UK-EU relationship. We want to secure an agreement with the EU that provides the stability and confidence for EU and UK business and individuals to achieve our aims in maintaining and developing the UK’s strong trading and economic links with the EU. That is why we will be seeking more than just an adequacy arrangement and want to see an appropriate ongoing role for the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. Following the EU’s adoption of guidelines for negotiations on our future relationship at the March European Council, we have had early discussions with the Commission on that future relationship and we look forward to making further progress on this to secure the best deal for both the UK and EU.

Department for Education

Sex and Relationship Education

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to introduce LGBT teaching for primary school age children.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s ambition is to ensure all pupils have the knowledge they need to stay safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain. The Department has recently consulted a wide range of expert stakeholders to support the introduction of compulsory Relationships Education in primary schools, including a call for evidence to seek public views on what should be included in these subjects. The findings from this process are helping the Department to reach evidence-based decisions on subject content. From this, the Government will develop the regulations and accompanying statutory guidance for these subjects and both will be subject to public consultation followed by a debate on the regulations in Parliament. The Department expects both subjects to be inclusive and to meet the needs of all young people, in an age-appropriate way.

Alternative Education: Codes of Practice

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will reassess the potential merits of requiring a code of practice for schools which operate outside mainstream education.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 14 March, as part of the government’s Integrated Communities Strategy, we announced our intention to consult on a voluntary code of practice for out-of-school settings providers. This will set out clear standards and expectations for providers, which would include those providers operating schools outside of mainstream education, such as part-time or supplementary schools. We will invite views on the code of practice later this year.

Department for Education: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department introduced The Education (School Teachers’ Qualifications and Induction Arrangements and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, which came into force on 17 November 2016.These regulations give effect to the requirement to allow partial access to the teaching profession (partial Qualified Teacher Status) by reference to the relevant provisions in the European Union (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/2059).The department anticipate negligible costs associated with these changes.The department introduced the European Union (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1094) which came into force in December 2016.The purpose of this legislation was to ensure the requirements of the revised Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) Directive 2005/36/EC (PQD) were met. This Statutory Instrument added three early years professions to the main MRPQ implementing regulations, allowing for the mutual recognition of these qualifications within the European Union.There are currently no direct costs to the private sector or public purse as a result of these regulations.Should any subsequent changes be required to the MRPQ regulations, the department will accordingly amend its regulations to reflect the necessary changes .

Teachers: Training

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training is provided to teachers on (a) psychological and (b) trauma issues raised by young people with challenging behaviour.

Nick Gibb: It is up to schools to decide what training their staff need in order to provide the right support to pupils. According to the Government’s ‘Supporting Mental Health in Schools and Colleges survey’, 90% of schools offered staff training on supporting pupils' mental health and wellbeing (47% all staff, 43% at least some staff) and 49% had a dedicated lead for mental health. The survey can be viewed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664855/Transforming_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_provision.pdf. The green paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, which is also attached, sets out proposals to improve support for schools to identify those pupils who need mental health support, backed with over £300 million of funding. As part of this, the Government will incentivise schools to put in place Designated Senior Leads (DSLs) for mental health, and will provide training on how to promote and support good mental health and wellbeing. DSLs will be supported by new, clinically supervised Mental Health Support Teams based in or near schools, which will provide support for those with mild to moderate needs, as well as better links to specialist NHS services for those who need them. The green paper can be found here: https:// www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to include practical life lessons into the PSHE curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Department has conducted a thorough and wide-ranging engagement process, including a call for evidence, on the scope and content of Relationships Education for primary schools, Relationships and Sex Education for secondary schools, and on the future status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The findings of the call for evidence and wider engagement process will support decision-making on PSHE and development of regulations and statutory guidance on the subjects. These will be subject to a full consultation before the regulations are laid in Parliament for debate.

Cultural Heritage: Minority Groups

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of educating young people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups about their ethic cultural heritage.

Nick Gibb: The Government believes that as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about different cultures, and about how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain. Schools have the flexibility to teach these topics in ways that are appropriate and sensitive to the needs of their pupils. The national curriculum programme for the study of citizenship also supports this, while arts GCSE specifications require students to know and understand how sources inspire the development of ideas, by, for example, drawing on the work and approaches of artists, craftspeople or designers from contemporary and/or historical contexts, periods, societies and cultures.

Children: Day Care

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of parents not eligible to receive 30 hours free childcare because their income is from a University or other stipend.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. All 3- and 4-year-olds are able to access our universal offer of 15 hours of early education a week, and therefore parents who receive income from a university or other stipend would be able to access this, to support them with their childcare. Since September 2017, working parents of 3- and 4- year-olds are now eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare. Our latest published data shows that 294,000 children benefitted from a 30 hours place in the spring term.

Health Education

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to introduce the teaching of menstrual wellbeing in schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: The national curriculum for science includes content on puberty and the menstrual cycle in key stages 2 and 3. The government also provides guidance on Sex and Relationship Education which outlines how and when schools can prepare girls and boys for puberty and menstruation. Under reforms in the Children and Social Work Act 2017, all primary schools will be required to teach Relationships Education and all secondary schools to teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). We are also considering compulsory status for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education. To help reach evidence-based decisions on what these subjects may look like, the government has been conducting a thorough engagement process with a wide range of expert stakeholders. Departmental officials are currently analysing the evidence gathered during this process and intend to put new statutory guidance and regulations out for public consultation later in the year.

Vocational Education

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to consult small and medium-sized businesses on the future of (a) technical and (b) vocational education.

Nick Gibb: The Government believes that employers should be at the heart of reforms to technical education. Employers and their representatives have been consulted in the development of plans for delivering technical education reforms and designing the outline content for new T level programmes. The Government is working in partnership with employers and industry experts, including small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), to design T levels in a way that meets the needs of business. The Department is also talking to employers about how they can best be supported in delivering work placements as part of T levels. For example, a research project has been commissioned which will interview employers about their capacity and demand to offer T level work placements. Over 1000 employers, many of them SMEs, have been engaged through the work placement pilots, and are now offering work placements to students in the 2017/18 academic year. A public consultation on T level implementation has recently been completed, and the response will be published in the spring.

Free School Meals: Sixth Form Education

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 27 February 2017 to Question 64323, what proportion of students enrolled at (a) selective schools and academy sixth forms, (b) non-selective schools and academy sixth forms and (c) sixth form colleges were eligible for free school meals at academic age 15.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The department does not produce the requested figures for selective and non-selective institutions.

Students: Loans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of graduate students who are earning over £50k and have begun repaying their student loan since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This is a matter for the Student Loans Company (SLC). I have asked the SLC's Interim Chief Executive, Peter Lauener, to write to the hon. Member for Coventry South and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding in cash terms was provided per pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in Coventry South constituency in each of the last 18 financial years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many eligibility codes for 30 hours of free childcare have been generated for the summer term 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: This data is publically available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of eligible (a) three and (b) four year olds have received an eligibility code for 30 hours of free childcare for the summer 2018 term.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government set out in the 2015 Spending Review that we expect 390,000 children to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare. This includes both three and four year olds. This figure is a January snapshot and therefore is the mid-point, spring term estimate and an average across the year. For the summer term, we said that we were aiming for 370,000 eligibility codes to be generated and we exceeded this target with 377,535 codes generated by 31 March. This was set out publically in the Management Information release on 12 April, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.

Pre-school Education

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of eligible two year old children receive 15 hours of free early years education each week.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is publically available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2017.

Children: Day Care

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average weekly cost of childcare  in Warrington for a child (a) under two and (b) two to four years of age.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department collects and publishes data on the regional weekly cost of childcare through our regular ‘Childcare and early years survey of parents’. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childcare-and-early-years.

Secondary Education: Standards

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to improve the performance of secondary schools against Gatsby benchmark number 7.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s careers strategy states that all schools and colleges should use the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers provision, meeting them all by the end of 2020. Benchmark 7, ‘Encounters with further and higher education’, expects that all students should understand the full range of educational opportunities that are available to them at both college and university. The Department is making progress in implementing this benchmark. A new law was introduced in January 2018, requiring secondary schools to make sure that a range of education and training providers have an oppurtunity to talk to pupils in year 8 to year 13 about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. Further information about the new law can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/skills-minister-highlights-new-provider-access-law-for-schools. The Department has also published new statutory guidance which explains in detail what schools are required to do. The guidance is being promoted to school governors, head teachers and careers leaders through a range of channels.The statutory guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools.

Skilled Workers

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many employers have been asked to answer the employer skills survey in 2018.

Nick Gibb: The Employer Skills Survey has traditionally been conducted every two years. It was last conducted in 2017, and therefore no employers were asked to answer it in 2018.In 2017, 201,499 employer establishments were asked to take part in the survey.

Work Experience: Safety

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions has he had with (a) employers and (b) further education colleges on the effect of health and safety requirements on the use of work experience and work placements.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have been talking extensively to employers and providers over the last few months about how we can best support them to deliver work placements as part of T levels. One of the issues we have discussed is the legal, safeguarding and health and safety responsibilities on employers and providers for students on a work placement. Over the coming months, we will be publishing clear guidance on this, including setting out the clear responsibilities and legal requirements on employers and providers.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2018 to Question 136788, on Students: Loans, how many of the 793 Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions students were overpaid by over £1000.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Student Loans Company estimates that around 55 per cent of the 793 Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions students affected by an administrative error have been overpaid by over £1,000.

Ministry of Justice

Miscarriages of Justice: Compensation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance on accessing Government compensation his Department provides to prisoners released after a wrongful conviction.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what social, psychological and educational support services the Government makes available to prisoners released after a wrongful conviction.

Rory Stewart: The Miscarriages of Justice Support Service (MJSS) provides support to people leaving prison via the Court of Appeal following a miscarriage of justice and who therefore do not not fall within the scope of probation services or benefit from their ongoing support. The MJSS, funded by a grant from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, provides advice and assistance with accommodation and employment, clarifying National Insurance and credits, and securing local health care services. Information, guidance and application forms for anyone wishing to claim compensation for a miscarriage of justice is available on the gov.uk website.

Registered Intermediaries

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had and with whom in response to the recommendations of the A Voice for the Voiceless: The Victims’ Commissioner’s Review into the Provision of Registered Intermediaries for Children and Vulnerable Victims and Witnesses, published in January 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: I would like to thank Baroness Newlove for her thorough review into the provision of Registered Intermediaries who provide an invaluable service, allowing those that may otherwise not be heard to fully participate in the criminal justice system. I understand that Baroness Newlove has been invited to meet with Minister Lucy Frazer to discuss the report in full.

Reoffenders: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of re-offending rates among under 25s in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The table below shows the one-year reoffending rate of those aged 10 to the age of 24 for Coventry has declined from 38.3% and 32.0%. For West Midlands, those aged 10 to the age of 24 the one-year reoffending rate has declined overall from 33.8% and 31.9%. Proven reoffending data for under 25s in Coventry and West Midlands Apr 2010-Mar 2011Apr 2011-Mar 2012Apr 2012-Mar 2013Apr 2013-Mar 2014Apr 2014-Mar 2015Apr 2015-Mar 20161Coventry  Proportion of offenders who reoffend (%)38.337.632.434.732.033.8Average number of reoffences per reoffender3.162.862.792.982.903.33Number of reoffences2,2041,7961,2271,2599701,164Number of reoffenders697627439422335350Number of offenders in cohort1,8211,6691,3571,2151,0461,036   West Midlands  Proportion of offenders who reoffend (%)33.533.831.732.231.831.9Average number of reoffences per reoffender2.922.912.943.103.123.42Number of reoffences28,64425,85320,49918,89916,69817,974Number of reoffenders9,8078,8816,9656,0965,3515,262Number of offenders in cohort29,30226,26621,99818,94316,85116,520 1. The annual average figures for 2015/16 have been calculated by taking an average of the four preceding three month offender cohorts. There is a data source change in the middle of 2015/16 and users should be careful when using this figure to compare to previous years. 2. These figures have been derived from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. 3. A certain proportion of offenders who could not be matched to the Police National Computer (PNC) are excluded from the offender cohort. Therefore, these numbers do not represent all proven offenders.

Ministry of Justice: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a large department which operates an extensive number of IT systems for different business purposes. The Ministry is committed to ensuring that these systems are stable, safe and up to date, and therefore has a rolling programme of updates and upgrades at different points. To categorise the systems by age would not paint an accurate picture as most systems are not in their original installation state.

Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what powers the Legal Aid Agency has to grant legal aid even where the means test is not met.

Rory Stewart: For civil legal aid, the Legal Aid Agency has discretion to grant legal aid in a small number of cases, even where the income or capital elements of the means test are not met. These are set out in Regulations 9-12 of the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013 (as amended).In addition, the regulations exempt some types of civil legal aid cases from the means test entirely, for example, certain proceedings relating to the care, supervision and protection of children.For criminal legal aid, the Legal Aid Agency does not have discretion to waive the means test. However, there are safeguards, such as the hardship review mechanism and exemptions for youths, which afford additional protection for vulnerable applicants. Some areas of criminal legal aid provision, including police station work, remain non-means tested.

Tribunals: Video Conferencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 130227, on courts: video conferencing, what assessment his Department has made of how representative the Tax Tribunal is of other courts and tribunals.

Rory Stewart: HMCTS has not assessed the tax chamber, or any jurisdiction, to be representative of other courts and tribunals. We recognise that it is in the nature of tribunals that each chamber is different, with different participants, procedures and challenges. We also know that no two cases are the same which is why it is always for the judge to determine which cases are suitable for video hearings. In consultation with the judiciary, the tax chamber has been selected as an appropriate place to begin piloting fully video hearings in as the types of hearings included in this pilot are reasonably straight forward and, due to an increasing amount of appellants initiating their appeal online, it is expected that participants have a reasonable level of digital capability. The pilot will allow HMCTS to learn and establish some basic principles around remote attendance and the new technology that has been developed

Tribunals: Video Conferencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 130227, on courts: video conferencing, what proportion of participants in Tax Tribunals are children.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 130227, on courts: video conferencing, what proportion of participants in Tax Tribunals are not represented by a lawyer.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 130227, on courts: video conferencing, what proportion of participants in Tax Tribunals are young adults.

Rory Stewart: These questions are being answered together. Information about the proportion of participants in the Tax Tribunals who are children is not held. The tribunal does not request the date of birth of appellants. Information on the proportion of participants in Tax Tribunals who are not represented by a lawyer is not held. In the Video Hearings pilot no appellant has been represented by a lawyer. Information on the proportion of participants in Tax Tribunals who are young adults is not held. The tribunal does not request the date of birth of appellants.

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what variable fee payments were made under facilities management contracts in each category of variable fee in each year since those contracts were introduced.

Rory Stewart: The variable costs under the facilities management contract for public prisons have been categorised as Ad-hoc, Hard variable, Soft variable and Management variable.Note: all values are pound sterling and exclude VAT.Amey Ad-hocHard VariableSoft VariableManagement VariableTotalContract Year 1 (June 2015 to May 2016)34,974.362,564,074.3051,685.283,178,961.835,829,695.77Contract Year 2 (June 2016 to May 2017)888,158.358,689,687.43371,999.573,220,907.9813,170,753.33Contract Year 3 (June 2017 to February 2018)1,172,217.1510,733,778.94241.140.452,466,115.2914,613,251.83Carillion Ad-hocHard VariableSoft VariableManagement VariableTotalContract Year 1 (June 2015 to May 2016)572,974.791,349,397.2236,442.954,568,585.306,527,400.26Contract Year 2 (June 2016 to May 2017)3,983,631.066,704,106.3639,204.314,553,932.3615,280,874.09Contract Year 3 (June 2017 to December 2017)3,808,199.295,348,475.71365,839.062,787,877.6712,316,809.04 The Ministry of Justice are committed to obtaining the best value for money through continued improvements to the contract management and procurement of FM services.

Ministry of Justice: Consultants

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contracts for consultancy services (a) his Department and (b) his Department's arms-length bodies agreed in 2016; what the value is of each of those contracts; who the signatories to those contracts are; what the performance measures relating to each of those contract are; to which geographic areas the delivery of those contracts relate; what the terms of those contracts are; how many people are employed by those contract providers to deliver those contracts; and if he will place copies of those contracts in the Library.

Rory Stewart: As per Cabinet Office policy, all contracts with the MoJ, throughout tender and once awarded, with a value of £10,000 or more are published in the public domain on Government Contracts Finder. Contracts agreed by the MoJ for consultancy services throughout 2016 will be published here. As requested all information is available on Contracts Finder however certain elements would have been redacted as these are commercial sensitive. The published contracts will include The Value, Company, Performance Measures or deliverables, area or base for work to be completed, terms and conditions of the contract. We would have redacted the signatures and wouldn’t list people employed as we engage with the consultancy company based on their bid. I have placed a copy of these contracts in the Library.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on staff there have been at each prison in (a) January, (b) February and (c) March 2018.

Rory Stewart: Data about assaults by prisoners, including those on prison staff, is published in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. The figures for January to March 2018 are scheduled to be published on 26 July. The most recent statistics were published on 26 April and cover assaults to December 2017. Figures for individual prisons can be found in the data tool: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676164/assaults-data-tool.xlsx. We are addressing the high-levels of violence in prisons by recruiting extra staff and giving all staff the tools and training to help them reduce violence. We are investing £100 million to boost the front line and we are over half way to our target of recruiting 2,500 extra prison officers. We have invested in 5,600 body-worn cameras to help protect our prison staff, and we are working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute prisoners who assault staff.

Glen Parva Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the planned timescale is for the completion of the new prison scheduled for Glen Parva.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the planned timescale is for the completion of the new prison scheduled for Wellingborough.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there was a public sector bid for the contract to build the prison scheduled for Glen Parva.

Rory Stewart: There was not a public sector bid as the Government does not generally have a construction arm. As a result of a fair and open competition which considered a range of factors including value for money for the taxpayer, the department announced Kier Construction Limited and Interserve Construction Limited as the preferred bidders for the Wellingborough and Glen Parva redevelopments respectively. The opening dates are subject to the final contracts which in turn are subject to full business case approval later this year.

Wellingborough Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there was a public sector bid for the contract to build the prison scheduled for Wellingborough.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who has been awarded the contract to build the prison at Glen Parva.

Rory Stewart: There was not a public sector bid as the Government does not have a construction arm. As a result of a fair and open competition that considered a range of factors including value for money for the taxpayer, the department announced Kier Construction Limited and Interserve Construction Limited as the preferred bidders for the Wellingborough and Glen Parva redevelopments respectively. The final contracts are subject to full business case approval later this year.

Ministry of Justice: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Rory Stewart: My department has not introduced any regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23June 2016. In 2018, we do not expect to introduce further regulations.In 2019, we expect to introduce one regulation. However, the exact number is subject to ongoing negotiations and the financial impact is unknown at this time. All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk.

Victim Support Schemes: West Yorkshire

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of funding from the Victims Fund that is allocated to West Yorkshire.

Rory Stewart: The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime have access to a broad range of support services, to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. We have again allocated Police and Crime Commissioners approximately £68m from our budget to locally commission or provide support services for victims. In 2018/19 the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire will receive almost £2.7m. In addition, victims in West Yorkshire have access to range of nationally commissioned support services, including three rape support centres, which receive approximately £238k in direct grant funding from the Ministry of Justice.

Victim Support Schemes: Finance

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to devolve the Victims' Fund to Police and Crime Commissioners.

Rory Stewart: The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime have access to a broad range of support services, to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. We are spending an estimated £96m this year to fund support services for victims of crime through a mix of local and nationally commissioned services. From this budget, we have again allocated Police and Crime Commissioners around £68m to locally commission emotional and practical support services for victims of crime. As part of our victims strategy, due to be published in summer, we are developing a new delivery model for support services. We will consider options for further devolution as part of this work.

Insurance: Liability

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the implications for the public liability claims handling process of the non-disclosure by organisations of their public liability insurer.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Funerals: Children

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is implementing the Children's Funeral Fund for England.

Rory Stewart: The Government is committed to ensuring that all families who lose a child are given the support they need. That is why the Prime Minister has announced the establishment of a Children’s Funeral Fund for England. Details will be announced in due course.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what target his Department has for the number of full-time equivalent prison officers to be in post in 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what target his Department has for the number of full-time equivalent prison officers to be in post in 2019.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what target his Department has for the number of full-time equivalent prison officers to be in post in 2020.

Rory Stewart: As part of the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper published in November 2016, the Government committed to an increase of 2,500 Prison Officers by the end of 2018.Between the end of October 2016 (the closest data point in time to when the commitment was made) and the end of March 2018, the number of Band 3 to 5 prison officers (headcount) increased from 18,713 to 21,824; a net increase of 3,111.It is anticipated that 90 per cent of the new recruits will be on the landings by the summer and all of them will be operational by the end of the year. This will make a real difference to the safety and security of our prisons, ensuring they can fulfil their purpose – protecting the public, reducing reoffending and, crucially, rehabilitating offenders. Prison governors are now responsible for setting staffing levels for officers at their establishments as a part of annual workforce planning procedures. The recruitment drive continues and will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, with the same urgency that has secured this remarkable influx of new staff.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letter of 28 March 2018 from the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield on legal aid for families of the victims of the Birmingham Pub Bombings.

Rory Stewart: A response was dispatched on the 26th April. Regarding the families’ application for legal aid for the judicial review, there is still a right of appeal to an Independent Funding Adjudicator. The law firm have been advised to submit the requisite paperwork to the LAA if they wish to exercise this right.

Legal Opinion: Standards

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to investigate and assess the (a) quality of services provided by and (b) growth in the number of providers in the unregulated legal advice sector; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of redress available to clients raising complaints relating to that sector.

Rory Stewart: The Department does not have data on the numbers of unregulated legal advice providers. Unlike the regulated sector, unregulated providers do not have to be authorised to provide services, and there is no effective means to collect accurate data. The Legal Services Board has conducted research on the unregulated sector, which is published on its website. Regulators also provide information for consumers, including through the Legal Choices website, on the differences between the regulated and unregulated sectors and the different protections offered, including the possibility of redress, and the Department is continuing to explore future options in these areas.

Prisons: Boxing

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing boxing programmes in prisons to improve the rehabilitation of prisoners.

Rory Stewart: I am passionate about the benefits that can be derived from participating in sport and physical activity in custody, which include building a prisoner’s confidence, providing purposeful activity and supporting engagement with rehabilitation when they (prisoners) are preparing for release. My colleague Dr Lee has commissioned Professor Rosie Meek of Royal Holloway University of London to undertake a review of sport and physical activity in the youth justice estate. Her report will identify good practice and make recommendations about how we can make better use of all sports and physical activities across custody.

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Life sentences for killer drivers, published by his Department on 15 October 2017, what progress he has made on  (a) implementing an increase to the maximum penalty for the offences of causing death by (i) dangerous driving and (ii) careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs to life imprisonment and (b) creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.

Rory Stewart: The government is committed to making sure that the courts have sufficient powers to deal with driving offences appropriately and proportionately.We will bring forward proposals for changes in the law as soon as parliamentary time allows. These proposals will take account of, and incorporate, all of government’s proposals for safer roads, including those arising from the Department of Transport’s review of cycle safety.

Shoplifting: Prosecutions

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the amount of court time which has been saved by allowing people accused of shoplifting to the cost of £200 to plead guilty by post; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: There is some saving of court time where an accused indicates a guilty plea by post compared with an equivalent case where the accused appears in person and pleads guilty. To date no estimate has been made of the amount of court time that has been saved, either generally or in respect of low-value shoplifting cases. Data to answer the question is not available and it would present a disproportionate expense to HMCTS to provide it. In all cases the defendant may choose to enter their plea in open court at a hearing if they prefer.

Ministry of Justice: Diaries

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many page views there were of his Department's Ministerial diaries in each of the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Developing Countries

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate its work with the Department for International Development to ensure that UK trade policy supports development in poorer countries.

Graham Stuart: A joint DFID and DIT team, working in London and across UK embassies and High Commissions, is responsible for ensuring that development and global prosperity priorities are reflected in UK trade and investment policy, and for shaping the UK's future trade arrangements with developing countries.

Overseas Trade: Developing Countries

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department makes of the effectiveness of impact assessments on future UK trade agreements with poorer countries on those countries.

Graham Stuart: The UK is committed to ensuring developing countries can use trade as an engine of poverty reduction, and trade agreements play an important role in this. It is a priority of the Department for International Trade to ensure that developing countries maintain their preferential access to the UK market as we leave the EU.The Department provides impact assessments to Parliament when EU trade agreements are ratified. As outlined in the White Paper "Preparing for our future trade policy", we are committed to a transparent approach to international trade. We will ensure Parliament has an appropriate role to play in the scrutiny of new UK trade treaties.

Overseas Trade: Developing Countries

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to maintain UK market access for poorer countries, in trade agreements after the UK leaves the EU.

Graham Stuart: The UK recognises the need for a smooth transition in our trade arrangements on leaving the EU, including with developing countries. That is why legislation has been introduced that will allow the UK to mirror the preferential access developing countries currently receive to the UK market. We will also seek to replicate the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements with African, Pacific and Caribbean countries.

Department for International Trade: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Greg Hands: As a result of EU obligations, the department has made nine statutory instruments since the referendum and currently anticipates that we will make another ten instruments, to implement EU obligations between now and the end of 2019.These nineteen instruments fall into two groups: regulations to implement export controls and regulations to ratify trade agreements which the EU will conclude while the UK remains a member.As yet, no estimate has been made of the cost of each regulation. This is either because i) the regulations are not due to come into force until 2019 or ii) the impact of the regulations is minimal and therefore, no assessment is required.

UK Trade With EU: Colne Valley

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what contact his Department has had with businesses in Colne Valley constituency on trade with the EU after the UK leaves the EU with businesses in Colne Valley constituency.

Graham Stuart: DIT's digital platform provides advice, information and support to exporting businesses on a one to one basis through locally based International Trade Advisors (ITA). The nearest ITA to Colne Valley is based in Huddersfield. Any issues raised, including any about the post EU environment are fed into the DIT Trade Policy team in London.DIT Trade Policy and DexEU staff hold meetings across the country to listen to views and concerns of businesses.

Small Businesses: UK Trade with EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what advice is available from his Department for SMEs that (a) export to the EU and (b) are planning to export to the EU to enable them to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what advice is available from his Department for SMEs that (a) import from the EU and (b) are planning to import from the EU to enable them to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its regional network of International Trade Advisers, sector teams, overseas network, international events programme, and online services. The great.gov.uk website offers digital tools to help businesses export and has had over 3 million visitors. Ministers from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU Exit with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has dedicated Export Finance Managers across the UK to help SMEs identify their export finance requirements and find solutions. In 2016-17, 79% of UK companies supported by UKEF were SMEs. In October 2017 UKEF partnered with high street banks to offer SMEs, including businesses that supply exporters, access to government-backed trade finance directly from their banks. The Government is developing a new Export Strategy which will be published in the coming months, and has engaged with numerous companies, organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chamber of Commerce, and other Government departments, including BEIS, to consider how best to support all businesses, including SMEs, to export or import as appropriate.

Export Controls

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 16 April 2018 to Question 134891 and Question 134889 on Export Controls, what the process is for the consideration of applications classified as (a) red, (b) grey and (c) green.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 16 April 2018 to Question 134891 and Question 134889 on Export Controls, what criteria his Department uses to assign licences as (a) red, (b) grey and (c) green.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 16 April to Question 134891 and Question 134889, which office in his Department assigns application for licences to the Export Control Joint Unit as (a) red, (b) grey and (c) green.

Graham Stuart: All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and are processed by the Export Control Joint Unit.The categories represent an overview of the complexity of the country from an export licensing perspective and are used at the initial processing stage to allow for more efficient and effective processing.The assessment process for considering licence applications is the same, regardless of whether they are sifted as red, grey or green.The details of which countries are categorised as either red, grey or green are confidential.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of his Department's estate is (a) rented, (b) owned and (c) occupied through any other type of agreement.

Jake Berry: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested is set out in the table below. Leasehold%Freehold%MOTO*%TOTALMHCLG (All incl Housing England Regeneration)180.9194998.3281.41982MHCLG (All excl Housing England Regeneration)1734.0510.02856.050 Property holdingsLeasehold%Freehold%MOTO*%TotalMHCLG (incl Homes England regeneration)911.56,13298.0310.56,254MHCLG (excl Homes England regeneration)1732.159.43158.553*Memorandum of Terms of Occupation

Jake Berry: The information requested is set out in the table below. Leasehold%Freehold%MOTO*%TOTALMHCLG (All incl Housing England Regeneration)180.9194998.3281.41982MHCLG (All excl Housing England Regeneration)1734.0510.02856.050 Property holdingsLeasehold%Freehold%MOTO*%TotalMHCLG (incl Homes England regeneration)911.56,13298.0310.56,254MHCLG (excl Homes England regeneration)1732.159.43158.553*Memorandum of Terms of Occupation

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 132215, how much his Department spends on each of those categories.

Jake Berry: The net cost of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) estate in 2016-17 was as follows:Leasehold: £14,093,944Freehold: £7,178,895MOTO: £21,362,539The figures provided exclude land held by Homes England by tenure type as this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The net cost takes into account income received from letting and sub-letting space.Costs for 2017-18 are not yet available.

Local Plans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has made as part of the ONS consultation Initial View on Census 2021 Output Content Design in respect of calculating population growth for local plan purposes.

Dominic Raab: The Department is currently considering the contents of the ONS consultation Initial View on Census 2021 Output Content Design and have not made any representations at this time. The consultation closes on 23 May 2018.

Local Government: Advertising

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what statutory requirements rest on local authorities with regard to having to advertise in local print media.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of their duty to advertise in local print media rather than the just online.

Rishi Sunak: There are over 600 requirements to publish statutory notices in one or more local newspapers circulating in the area of where the order relates is situated. Each Government Department has its own requirements, examples of which include planning notices, traffic orders and alcohol licensing notices. Some, like Planning Notices or Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders, must be publicised on a frequent basis. There is no single place to find the legislation for Statutory Notices. Each Notice has its own piece of either primary or secondary legislation.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Jake Berry: My Department has introduced four regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016.We do not expect to introduce any regulations as a result of EU legislation in 2018.We have no current plans to introduce any regulations as a result of EU legislation in 2019. However, the exact number is subject to on-going negotiations.Impact assessments for all regulations implementing EU legislation, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk

Construction: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure that design and civil engineering standards are maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Dominic Raab: The UK has a strong track record in developing design and civil engineering standards, both at home and abroad. We have been at the forefront of improving standards, with those that originated from our own national bodies being adopted the world over in a wide range of sectors. We will continue to work with other European countries, and globally, to drive new standards after we leave the EU.

Public Lavatories: Disability

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to monitor the compliance of organisations and companies with their duty to provide accessible toilets under Document M of the 2010 Buildings Regulations 2010; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of those provisions in respect of that duty.

Dominic Raab: The Department itself does not monitor the compliance of organisations with Building Regulations' requirements. The responsibility for monitoring compliance with all aspects of the Building Regulations, including Part M, rests with the building control bodies - local authorities or approved inspectors. They cannot give a compliance certificate to building work until they are satisfied that all relevant requirements have been complied with.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on funding for local government after the UK leaves the EU.

Rishi Sunak: My Department will continue to work with local government to plan for a number of EU exit scenarios and will carefully consider the opportunities and issues which may arise. We also work closely with policy teams from across Whitehall to understand the impact their EU Exit policies will have on the sector, and ensure that they assess and, if appropriate, fund any potential new burdens. The Spending Review will provide an opportunity to look at the funding for local government in the round.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of additional affordable homes that will be built over the next 10 years as a result of the new viability system in the updated National Planning Policy Framework.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



The draft revised National Planning Policy Framework proposes that plans should set out the contributions expected for infrastructure and affordable housing. This will help communities to understand what affordable housing is expected and enable them to hold developers to account. In 2016/17, section 106 secured £4 billion for affordable housing. The amount of affordable housing provided in future will depend on local need and priorities, and housing market trends.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for all the people who survived the Grenfell Tower fire to have moved into permanent new housing.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



The latest figures from the Council show that, as of 23 April, 196 of the 211 households that lived in Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk have accepted offers of temporary or permanent accommodation.As the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said in his statement to the House on 22 March, Official Report Column 411, progress on rehousing has not been made as quickly as it should have been.There are many reasons for this. It has taken time to buy, exchange and complete on a range of homes that suit various needs and to ensure they are furnished and safe to move into, including making the necessary refurbishments and repairs where required.We expect all households to be given whatever support they require to be rehoused as quickly as possible.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for all high-rise residential accommodation with dangerous aluminium composite material cladding to have had it removed and replaced.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



The remediation of buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is often a complex process which needs to be planned and carried out carefully. This means that the time taken to remove and replace the cladding will vary.The Department has published an Information Note with the assistance of the Industry Response Group to support building owners during their remediation process. The Information Note can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-note-for-landlords-and-building-owners-of-tall-residential-buildings-with-acm-cladding.We have also offered free screening tests at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to all owners of buildings over 18 metres with ACM cladding to help speed up the remediation process.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason Homes England has not produced quarterly updates on the (a) Affordable Homes Programme 2015 to 2018 and (b) Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to 2021 in each of the last two years, and if he will take steps to ensure that the information is published.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



The Government publishes Homes England’s affordable housing statistics biannually. These statistics provide an update on Homes England’s Affordable Homes Programme delivery alongside wider programmes. The latest statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-statistics

Affordable Housing: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total spending on grant funding for affordable homes by the (a) Homes and Communities Agency and (b) Greater London Authority was in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 26 April 2018



The Government funds affordable housing through the Affordable Homes programme. It does not announce funding on a yearly basis. The allocations of funding for each programme are as follows:ProgrammeAmount of funding Affordable homes programme 2011 - 2015£4.5 billonAffordable homes programme 2015 – 2018£2.9 billionShared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 - 2021£5.7 billion (including £1 billion of commitments from the 2015 – 18 programme.Additional £1.4 billion announced at Autumn Statement 2016.Additional £2 billion announced on 4 October 2017.Total 2016-21 budget of more than £9 billion.  In recognition of the acute needs and affordability pressure, London will be receiving £4.8 billion of the Affordable Homes Programme budget from 2015 – 2022, to deliver at least 116,000 homes by March 2022.

Homelessness: Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Government recording homeless death statistics at a national level.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 27 April 2018



No one should ever have to sleep rough and the death of any rough sleeper is a tragedy. As part of our Rough Sleeping Strategy, we will be considering a wide range of options to support rough sleepers to meet our commitment, which will include the data we gather on them.

Temporary Accommodation

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps have been taken as part of the £100 million programme for low-cost move on accommodation to enable people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery from a homelessness crisis into independent living; and how much of that money has been spent to date.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Holding answer received on 27 April 2018



£50 million has been allocated to the Greater London Authority who are working closely with those in the homelessness sector to deploy the fund in the capital.It is our priority to ensure that the Move On Fund meets the needs of those who are homeless and victims of domestic abuse, as such the Department is carefully considering the design of the programme for the rest of England, in particular to ensure a strategic alignment with the Rough Sleeping Strategy to be published in July.

Housing: Finance

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March to Question 132182 on Housing: Finance, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the bidding process for local authorities councils to be allocate housing-related funding.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has for his Department to allocate resources from the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: My Department continues to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We have committed to launch a consultation on its design and priorities later this year.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Interpreters

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the protection of interpreters who have previously worked for the Armed Forces and who no longer feel safe in their country of origin.

Mark Lancaster: Her Majesty's Government does not have one single overarching policy but instead has two specific Cabinet Office agreed policies for Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iraq policy ensured all Iraqi interpreters who fulfilled the eligibility criteria for relocation, and asked to be, were relocated to the UK. Threat to life from insurgent/militia attacks outside of the working environment was a central consideration in the design of the scheme's eligibility criteria.In Afghanistan, our Intimidation Policy supports all former locally employed staff who believe they are in danger as a result of their UK employment, irrespective of date, role, or length of service. Due to the concerted effort when employing local staff in Afghanistan, not to employ individuals from the local area, and to provide accommodation on base, the risk of off duty attacks was significantly lower and as such it was not necessary to relocate all interpreters to ensure their safety.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many properties in Service Family Accommodation are graded (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E and (f) F.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the criteria are for assessing houses in Service Family Accommodation as grade (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, and (f)F.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Afghanistan: Military Aircraft

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many safety occurrence reports have been raised on the (a) Boeing E-3d Sentry and (b) Nimrod prior to the crash in Afghanistan.

Mark Lancaster: The number of air safety occurrence reports recorded for E-3D Sentry and Nimrod fleets prior to the crash of Nimrod XV230 on 2 September 2006, is given in the table below:  FromToNumber of recorded air safety occurrence reportsE-3D22 January 19912 September 2006666Nimrod28 July 19712 September 20063,527

Armed Forces: Schools

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish the scope and further details of the review he commissioned on the merits of a military ethos in education.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: My hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Robert Goodwill) will soon be undertaking an independent study that will look into the benefits of military ethos in schools. The Government's Cadet Expansion Programme has already proven that it can increase social mobility and help disadvantaged children reach their potential. My hon. Friend's study has not been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence.

Type 26 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a decision on the base-porting arrangements of the new Type 26 frigates will be announced in the report of the defence modernisation programme.

Guto Bebb: As we move towards the Type 26 Global Combat Ships entering service with the Royal Navy in the 2020s, preparations will include consideration of their future base-porting. This is part of normal forward planning and an announcement will be made in due course.

Trident Submarines

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of the trim and compensation system for the Dreadnought programme; and whether that estimate is an increase on previously made estimates.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, from which budgets the cost of the Dreadnought programme’s trim and compensation system will be funded.

Guto Bebb: Costs of individual systems on Dreadnought are managed within the programme's overall £31 billion budget, which is funded by Defence. I am withholding details of the cost of this system as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial discussions and interests.

Veterans: Health Services

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the pilot scheme for the Integrated Personal Care for Veterans’ System.

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) very seriously injured and (b) brain injured veterans have been supported through the Integrated Personal Care for Veterans System pilot scheme.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that there is a small and defined cohort of Service personnel and veterans who have been very seriously injured as a result of service, and who will remain highly dependent, requiring additional support as they transition into civilian life. The aim of the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V) system is to provide patient-centred support to improve the integration of health and social care for that cohort whether provided by the MOD, NHS, Local Government or the third sector.Currently at the proof of concept phase, it is anticipated that the adequacy of IPC4V can be assessed over autumn 2018.In the interests of patient confidentiality we are unable to disclose the number of individuals taking part in the pilot.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 17 of the Quinquennial Review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme ‘One Year On’ Report, published on 9 April 2018, what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel with (a) the most serious injuries and (b) brain injuries that will qualify for the (i) uplift of the top tariff level 1 award and (ii) increase the cap on the cumulative lump sum for multiple awards.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time and post-initial training personnel there were in each of the three services in each year since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's invitations to tender have received no bidders in the last two years.

Guto Bebb: The number of Ministry of Defence invitations to tender that have received no bidders in the last two years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Resignations

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel left (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force through voluntary outflow in each of the last five years.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many engineers left the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force through voluntary outflow in each of the last five years.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many pilots left the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force through voluntary outflow in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/681512/201801_-_SPS.pdf

Submarine Delivery Agency

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 9 of the Submarine Delivery Agency Corporate Plan 2018-2019, whether three Government non-executive directors and three independent non-executive directors have been appointed to the Submarine Delivery Agency Board.

Guto Bebb: The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) Framework Document sets out the composition of the SDA Board, which is to include a maximum of three Government non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and at least three independent NEDs. Currently, two Government NEDs are members of the Board. Following an extensive external recruitment process, we have identified four suitable candidates with the right skills and experience to fulfil the independent NED roles. Announcements will be made when all appointment formalities have been completed.

Submarine Delivery Agency

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Submarine Delivery Agency Framework Document, published by his Department on 23 April 2018, what the timetable is for the Submarine Delivery Agency to have its own Employee Relations Framework.

Guto Bebb: The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) operates under the Defence Equipment and Support Employee Relations Framework and the Ministry of Defence's Collective Agreement. The SDA would negotiate its own framework to support bespoke policies if these were required.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) armament and (b) sensors are planned to be included in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet support ships which are currently being tendered; what combat systems will be used to control those armament and sensors; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: The programme to deliver the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Fleet Solid Support ships is in the Assessment Phase. We expect that the ships will be provided with a limited range of weapons and sensors for self-protection, most likely to include small arms, and close range guns such as Phalanx. The exact equipment provision has not yet been finalised but will remain consistent with the defensive measures provided to RFA vessels.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims include a child component in (a) Scotland and (b) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Alok Sharma: The available information on the number of households in receipt of the childcare element of Universal Credit, including by country and constituency, is published and can be accessed at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be obtained at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children are included on universal credit claims in (a) Scotland and (b) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Alok Sharma: The information for the number of children included on Universal Credit claims is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information on the number of households with a child element included as part of the claim is published and can be obtained from Stat-Xplore, which can be accessed at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have requested an advance payment when applying for universal credit; and what proportion of people that figure applies to in (a) Scotland and (b) the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Alok Sharma: Data on the number of requests for a Universal Credit advance or number of advances awarded by constituency is not held by the Department. However, our latest national internal data for number of advances awarded indicates that, for eligible new claims to Universal Credit Full Service that were due a first payment in January 2018, 60% received either a ‘new claim’ or ‘benefit transfer’ advance. This shows an increase of around 10 percentage points since the latest published data for July 2017, and that people are getting the support they need in the first assessment period. The published data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-payment-advances-may-2016-to-june-2017

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many payments for housing costs have been paid directly to landlords from people's universal credit payments; and what proportion of people that figures applies to in (a) Scotland and (b) the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.

Alok Sharma: The available information on the number of households on Universal Credit that have payments made directly to their landlord, including by country and constituency, is published and can be accessed at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be obtained at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been seen by work coaches since the introduction of universal credit full service in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency; and how many of those people have subsequently secured employment.

Alok Sharma: The Department does collect information on individuals seen by work coaches but this data is not currently available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, statistics available at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ show that in March 2018 there were 2,205 people on Universal Credit in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. As stated in the Strategy for Releasing Official Statistics we are currently assessing what information is available on flows between conditionality groups including the feasibility of producing statistics on flows from Universal Credit into work.

Personal Independence Payment: Hearing Impairment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2018 to Question 133246, if she will provide an email address on the webpage https://www.gov.uk/pip/how-to-claim to ensure that claimants with hearing loss can use an email to claim personal independence payments and communicate with her Department.

Sarah Newton: DWP offers email as a correspondence channel to claimants when it is requested as a reasonable adjustment of disability. This may be agreed when a claimant has a disability which means they find it more difficult to communicate through the standard communication routes. The use of email is insecure and the risks of data loss must be explained, and the claimant agree to the use of email. DWP will always provide an email address to any claimant who requires a reasonable adjustment due to a disability. Customers can contact the PIP Enquiry Line by 'phone, Video Relay Service for British Sign Language (BSL) users, Next Generation Text or Textphone. Our contact details are on gov.uk at: www.gov.uk/disability-benefits-helpline

Personal Independence Payment

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128682, for what reasons the claimant service and experience survey does not include personal independence payment claimants whose claims were unsuccessful.

Sarah Newton: The claimant Service and Experience Survey (CSES) measures satisfaction with the services provided by DWP and therefore only includes within its sample those that have had contact with DWP in the previous three months to aid recall.Historically satisfaction surveys were conducted by separate surveys of each DWP benefit group, some of which included disallowed claimants whist others did not. It was therefore decided to revert to a consistent approach across all benefits from 2015/16 and to focus on service performance rather than outcome. For all benefits, at the time of drawing the sample, cases are live and in payment. However, between the date on which the sampke is drawn and the date in which a claimant is interviewed, some claimants may have withdrawn their claim, or had it disallowed. Some disallowed PIP claims are included for those that report a change of circumstances. These PIP claimants will still be interviewed.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many violence-at-work incidents have been reported at Govan job centre; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to eliminate violence-at-work incidents in (a) Govan jobcentre and (b) her Department's offices across the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the most recent risk assessment was conducted at Govan jobcentre on violence at work; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions takes any form of abuse and harassment (including violence-at-work incidents) of its staff by customers and claimants very seriously. Robust controls are in place to mitigate the risk of unacceptable customer behaviour (UCB) and eliminate violence-at-work as far as reasonably practicable, including security presence, risk assessments and training for our staff. We review outcomes of our most serious incidents and consider any lessons learned to make improvements to our processes and training when necessary to help prevent reoccurrence. Govan Jobcentre and its staff follow Departmental policy and guidance to minimise violence at work. We encourage our people to report every instance of UCB and we take action against individuals, with measures proportionate to the seriousness of the incident. Where acts of violence do occur we provide a number of solutions through employee assistance and wellbeing initiatives to support those individuals that require it. In the last year to March 2018, there has been 1 reported incident of attempted assault, 20 reported incidents of verbal abuse, 4 reported incidents of verbal threats and 12 incidents recorded for other reasons at Govan Jobcentre. A full health and safety check was undertaken at Govan Jobcentre on 26 April 2018.

Social Security Benefits

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were entitled to the higher rate of the (a) care component and (b) mobility component of disability living allowance receive the (i) standard and (ii) enhanced rate of the (A) daily living component and (B) mobility component of personal independence payment.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received the (a) standard and (b) enhanced rate of the (i) daily living component and (ii) mobility component of personal independence payment in each year since the beginning of its roll-out.

Sarah Newton: The latest available data covering claimants who were reassessed from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found in the statistical tables “Personal Independence Payment: DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes, October 2017” published in December 2017 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2017 Table 8A (i): (DLA to PIP Reassessment Outcomes - Comparison of DLA and PIP entitlement) shows claimants’ level of care and mobility award under DLA compared to their level of daily living and mobility award under PIP. The latest date for which published data is available is 31st October 2017 and comparisons of DLA and PIP awards for reassessment claimants are published annually. The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, including volumes of claims broken down by level of daily living and mobility awards, are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Work and Health Programme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have enrolled on the Work and Health Programme; and how many of those people are in employment as a result of enrolling in that programme.

Sarah Newton: Information on Work and Health Programme referrals, attachments and employment outcomes is not currently available.We plan to publish statistical information for the Work and Health Programme in Autumn 2018, which will be produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of universal credit claimants that have been (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid; what the value of the largest of each such payments was; and and what the total amount (i) overpaid and (ii) underpaid was in the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: We do not have information on every Universal Credit claimant that has been overpaid or underpaid. The Department’s latest Fraud and Error estimates can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2016-to-2017-estimates. The statistics are based on a sample of around 1,100 cases selected randomly from the UC caseload during 2016-17. Of the overpayments identified within this sample, the median overpayment was £110 per month, with the smallest being £0.01 and the largest being £820. Of the underpayments identified in the sample, the median underpayment was £30 per month, with the smallest being £0.01 and the largest £600. These statistics also show that £90m of Universal Credit expenditure was overpaid in 2016-17. The rate of overpayments due to fraud on Universal Credit is 3.2%, which accounted for approximately £50m of this total. Total underpayments for Universal Credit in 2016-17 amounted to £20m. The rate of underpayments due to official error in Universal Credit is 0.9%, a decrease from 1.2% in 2015/16. The rate of underpayments on Universal Credit due to claimant error is 0.4%, an increase of 0.2% from 2015/16. The Department’s preliminary Fraud and Error National Statistics for 2017-18 will be published on 17 May 2018.

Universal Credit: ICT

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many in-work universal credit claimants have received an incorrect award for reasons involving the real time information system.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, we know that the Real Time Information (RTI) system is working well with over 99% of individual employment records now being reported in real time. This method of sharing information is allowing us to run a welfare system that is responsive to changes in earnings and helps us identify cases of fraud. Only a small proportion of the 1% of remaining cases are referred to HMRC to clarify those earnings with the employer. DWP work closely with HMRC to investigate any risks associated with RTI data, and jointly deal with disputes arising when claimants query their reported earnings. As DWP receives copies of the data submitted by employers, the risk of data corruption within HMRC is regarded as minimal. However, DWP and HMRC continually monitor the data and no significant problems have been identified. A number of processes are in place to deal with inaccurate data from employers. DWP and HMRC analysts monitor the RTI data received, looking for trends, patterns and causes. Both Departments then work together with employers and partners, such as software developers and payroll bureaux, to improve the quality of the data.

Jobcentre Plus: Food Banks

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants signposted by Jobcentre Plus to food banks were previously (a) offered and (b) awarded an advance payment or short term benefit advance.

Kit Malthouse: The information requested is not available as no data is held on the number using the signposting to food bank service at Jobcentres. Jobcentre Plus does not make direct referrals to food banks but has offered a signposting service since 2011 to those who have expressed an interest in using a food bank.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of her Department's invitations to tender have received no bidders in the last two years.

Kit Malthouse: In the two year period to 25th of April 2018, one Invitation to Tender issued by the Department for Work and Pensions received no bidders.

*No heading*

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the maximum amount deducted was, as a proportion of each award from universal credit claimants to repay advance payments and historic debt from sources including the Social Fund.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit provides an unprecedented level of personalised support. People receive tailored support, based on their individual requirements, including financial support. Repayment of Universal Credit advances are included in the 40% cap on deductions that can be made from a claimant’s award. The maximum rate of deduction for an advance cannot exceed 40% of the claimant’s standard allowance. These deductions are taken when it is in the best interest of the claimant. In determining this, the Decision Maker will take into account the claimant’s circumstances. To protect vulnerable claimants from being made homeless or having their fuel disconnected, deductions in excess of the 40% of the claimant’s standard allowance can be taken in some circumstances. This is only for ‘last resort’ deductions , such as for arrears of service charges, rent, gas and electricity and on-going monthly costs of gas and electricity. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions, where it relates to benefit debt, a social fund loan or rent arrears, they can request that a reduction be considered. If a claimant is having difficulty repaying a benefit overpayment they can request a reconsideration of the amount that is being taken. Any reduction will be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant rather than the amount of the overpayment, which helps to ensure that a sustainable repayment plan based on affordability is put in place.

Access to Work Programme: Equality

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 133974, on Access to Work Programme, when her Department plans to publish its update to the Equality Analysis.

Sarah Newton: The Department plans to publish the update to the "Equality analysis for the Future of Access to Work" which considers the impact of raising the annual limit on Access to work Awards to £57,200 per annum from April 2018 shortly after the end of the pre-election period for the forthcoming local Government elections being held on 3rd May 2018.

Disability: Equal Pay

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to close the pay gap between people (a) with and (b) without disabilities.

Sarah Newton: Rates of pay do not fall within the the Department for work and Pension's labour market policies. Our policies are designed to ensure that disabled people can access the labour market, get the support they need and can progress in their careers. For example:Universal Credit makes it easier to start work and earn more because it offers personalised support to progress in work, and stays with people as they move in to work. People can work as many hours as they want, without having to worry about their claim.Our Disability Confident scheme aims to help and encourage more employers to become good employers of disabled people. Nearly 6,000 employers have already signed up to Disability Confident.Access to Work provides support of up to £57,200 per annum so that disabled people can stay in work and progress to senior levels, while having their support needs met.Government has the ambition of getting 1 million more disabled people in to work. On 30 November we published Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability, which lays out our strategy for achieving this ambition by improving both employment opportunities and retention in work for people with disabilities and health conditions.

Work and Health Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to publish the list of subcontractors for the Work and Health Programme.

Sarah Newton: The Work and Health Programme contracts were published on Contracts Finder 08th February 2018 and include details of all subcontractors who provide service for the Prime Contractors as detailed in their bids. All details can be found at:hhtps://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/710cc86-887b-454b-be8a-f8cc05112e8a?p=@RPT0=NjJNT08=UFQxUlR

Work and Health Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department plans to use to determine which jobseekers should be referred to the Work and Health Programme.

Sarah Newton: The main groups that Work and Health Programme (WHP) will provide targeted support for are:Disabled people as defined in the Equality Act 2010, who can volunteer to join the Programme at any timeOther groups who need extra tailored support to find employment, including ex-offenders, yound people leaving the care system and those with alcohol and/or drug dependencyLong term unemployed people (more than two years) An individual can be referred, by a Work Coach, when the following criteria are met:that the claimant is able to achieve the goal of finding employment within one yearthe indiviudal can be helped by the offerthat Jobcentre Plus has already helped the individual with their core job search activitythe claimaint needs more support than can be provided within the standard Jobcentre Plus offer (or through other available services and provision). Long term unemployment claimaints will be considered for mandatory referral to the programme when they reach 24 months plus of employment.

Work and Health Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what performance targets she has set for the Work and Health Programme.

Sarah Newton: The Work and Health Programme is designed to help move people in to sustained employment. The performance targets that we have set will measure how successful suppliers are in doing so.Performance of Work and Health Programme (WHP) contracts will be measured by the percentage of individuals starting the programme who go on to sustain employment or self-employment which meets the WHP job outcome definitions. Performance targets have been set for each geographical Contract Package Area (CPA). Within each CPA, we have also set performance targets for the three Customer Groups and the Devolved Deal Areas. In addition to achievement of the job outcome performance, DWP will measure supplier performance against a series of Customer Service Standards (CSS). This is to ensure that participants have a positive experience of their time on the programme. As part of the commercial tender process, bidders were evaluated on the key elements of their delivery models and the associated level of uplift to performance, to ensure robust and stretching performance offers, and meaningful and measurable CSS. These offers were incorporated in to their contracts, and constitute the targets to which DWP will hold suppliers. Contractual performance targets remain commercially sensitive. It is anticipated outcomes against performance expectations will be published in the release of Official Statistics, dependent on user need and the quality of the associated data.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Recycling

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage food producers to use recycled content in their production.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Food producers are responsible for the ingredients and contents of their products to be compliant with food safety standards.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

George Eustice: Core Defra uses 24 systems managed by its IT supplier IBM. Zero are less than 3 months old, 1 is between 5 and 8 years old; 23 are more than 8 years old. The age of a system relates to the date that it was launched. Applications and software which are used by these systems are subject to a regular patching regime and underpinning hardware is maintained as part of a technical refresh programme.

Bottles: Plastics

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing PET-made plastic drinks bottles with PLA-made bottles.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with drinks manufacturers on replacing PET-plastic bottles with PLA-plastic bottles.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the relative biodegradable properties of plastic bottles made with PET and those made with PLA.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has not had any specific discussions with manufacturers or made assessments on replacing PET plastic bottles with those made from PLA. We are currently working with industry to produce a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries.This will cover a range of issues such as: intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement; and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials. As part of this, the Government will work with UK Research and Innovation and industry to identify the demand, benefits and implications of a standard for bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

Life Environment Fund: British Overseas Territories

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of the UK Overseas Territories being able to access the EU’s LIFE fund for larger scale environmental projects.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Overseas Territories can currently access the EU LIFE programme according to the LIFE regulation 2014-2020 so no such assessment has been made.

Bottles: Plastics

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support the Government has provided for research into the use, composting and tertiary recycling of polylactic acid as fresh feedstock for the manufacture of plastic bottles in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has not provided any financial support for research into the use, composting and recycling of polylactic acid for the manufacture of plastic bottles.

Bottles: Plastics

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with industry representatives on setting a date by which polyethylene terephthalate in plastic bottles will have been phased out and replaced by polylactic acid.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has not had any discussions with industry representatives on setting a date by which polyethylene terephthalate in plastic bottles will be phased out and replaced by polylactic acid.

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter of 21 February 2018 from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland on the time taken to process the Basic Payment Scheme application of a constituent.

George Eustice: Defra received the letter on 9 March 2018 and a reply was sent on 18 April 2018.

Food: Industry

Mary Creagh: What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK food industry.

George Eustice: The UK food industry is innovative and efficient and it is well placed to succeed in the future. Many EU countries such as Ireland, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Spain are highly dependent on access to the UK for their food exports since the UK is a large and attractive market. Depending on the nature of any final agreement, food companies from some of these countries may choose to relocate some of their production out of the EU and into the UK.

Animal Welfare

Jo Platt: Whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to improve standards of safety in animal rescue homes.

George Eustice: Many such establishments are members of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes whose members must meet minimum standards of welfare and undertake home checks prior to releasing the pet animal. We have no current plans to regulate animal rescue homes.

Home Office

Home Office: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Victoria Atkins: In April 2016, the Government introduced a higher minimum wage rate, called the National Living Wage, which all employers in the UK are required to pay to those aged 25 and over. The Home Office is compliant with April 2018 National Living Wage of £7.83 and pays this regardless of age. The Living Wage Foundation (LWF) is an initiative by Citizens UK which advocates employers paying an alternative hourly rate known as the Living Wage or London Living Wage. The current Living Wage is £8.75 and London Living Wage is £10.20. Currently there are 6 directly employed staff being paid marginally below the Living Wage Foundation rate. All temporary agency staff are employed in accordance with the Agency Workers Regulations which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks. Starting pay rates comply with the requirements of the current Government Living Wage legislation; this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms. The Home Office only requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms and annually through our supplier assurance programme. The Home Office does not, however, require outsourced contractors to pay the Living Wage Foundation rates.

Sexual Offences: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the sexual abuse of young people by criminal gangs.

Victoria Atkins: The Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Progress Report, published in February 2017, announced a £40m package of measures to protect children and young people from sexual abuse, and to crack down on offenders. This includes the establishment of a ground-breaking new Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse with £7.5m of funding, which will work to understand the factors that drive offending, and providing more than £20m over 3 years to help combat the online grooming of children through dedicated officers working undercover online. We have also established a national Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Response Unit to develop local responses, and funded a network of police regional CSE coordinators and analysts, to identify organised child sexual abuse across police force boundaries so that offenders are subject to a robust response wherever they offend. Since 2012 the Home Office has provided £2.5m of direct funding for Young People’s Advocates in London, Manchester and Birmingham to work directly with gang-affected women and girls, especially if they have been victims, or are at risk, of sexual violence by gangs including county lines. We have committed to continue funding Young People’s Advocates up to March 2019 in order to ensure effective delivery of these services.

Knives: Students

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of banning the possession of a knife on a further education premises on students studying catering.

Victoria Atkins: As part of the development of the new Offensive Weapons Bill, which was announced on 8 April, we held a public consultation on a number of proposals including making it an offence to possess a knife or offensive weapon in an educational institution other than a school. Legislative measures arising from the consultation, including specific details on how they will operate, will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. Current legislation relating to the possession of knives on school premises includes a defence of possessing the knife for educational purposes and we will be looking to include the same defence in relation to further education premises. This would cover possession of a knife by catering students as part of their studies.

Sexual Offences: British Nationals Abroad

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many registered sex offenders have notified the police of an intention to leave the UK in the last five years.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many registered sex offenders have been issued a green notice or been included in an Interpol diffusion when leaving the UK in the last five years.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many registered sex offender are recorded as having reoffended outside the UK in the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be. Registered sex offenders are managed by the police, who are in the best position to identify the risk posed by individuals. Where the police have any particular concerns about offenders, they have additional powers such as civil orders to place restrictions on their travel, or to prohibit it altogether. Statistical information from the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR), which holds data about the activity of registered sex offenders including foreign travel, is owned by the police. The Home Office does not have access to this information.

Victim Support Schemes: EU Grants and Loans

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of EU funding was for specialist services to support victims and survivors of child abuse and sexual and domestic violence in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to fully replace EU funding for specialist services to support victims and survivors of child abuse and sexual and domestic violence after the UK leaves the EU.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of EU funding was for specialist women’s services in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to fully replace EU funding for specialist women’s services after the UK leaves the EU.

Victoria Atkins: Over this spending review period, we are providing £100m of dedicated funding to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.EU funding is provided to projects themselves as opposed to countries or government departments. Information requested which relates to projects which have secured funding can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/justice/grants1/closed-calls/index_en.htm. As part of wider Brexit work being taken forward, the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) is leading a cross-Government policy coordination team in order to examine funding issues and gauge views across Government on the preferred negotiations approach to EU funding programmes.

Slavery

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enforce compliance with s54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying sanctions to businesses that fail to comply with s54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: As a result of the world-leading provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have seen thousands of transparency statements published and businesses are now more focused on this issue than ever before. The legislation was designed to harness pressure from civil society and we are pleased that NGOs are using company statements to hold businesses to account, including contacting businesses that have not yet published statements and producing benchmarking reports on different sectors. In October 2017 we wrote to over 10,000 businesses reminding them of their obligations to report. The Home Secretary also established a new ‘Business Against Slavery Forum’, which aims to accelerate progress in tackling modern slavery, by sharing best practice and offering support to smaller businesses. We are considering what more can be done to drive greater levels of compliance and higher quality reporting. We do not think that a burdensome regime of government regulation and punitive sanctions is the most effective way to encourage business transparency. Court injunctions remain an option for the future if companies fail to comply.

National Retail Crime Steering Group

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2018 to Question 132685, when the National Crime Steering Group's work plan was last updated; how often that work plan is published; and what assessment she has made of whether the objectives of that work plan have been achieved.

Victoria Atkins: The work plan of the National Retail Crime Steering Group is kept up to date on an ongoing basis, and is formally reviewed by the Steering Group when it meets, twice per year. As co-chair of the Steering Group, alongside the British Retail Consortium, it is part of my role to ensure that members of the Steering Group are satisfied that the work plan reflects the retail sector’s crime priorities and that the required activity is in place to deliver its component parts. I am satisfied that this is currently the case, and I will review this with the full Steering Group at our next meeting, which is due to take place in June.

Retail Trade: Crime

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2018 to Question 132690, what the British Retail Consortium's estimate of the cost of crime to the UK retail industry was for each of the last six years.

Victoria Atkins: The British Retail Consortium publishes its estimate of the cost of retail crime as part of its annual retail crime survey. This is published by the British Retail Consortium on its website: https://brc.org.uk.

HM Passport Office: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) full-time equivalent staff and (b) people were employed in the Passport Office in (i) May and (ii) November of (A) 2013, (B) 2014, (C) 2015, (D) 2016 and (E) 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent staff and people who were employed in Her Majesty’s Passport Office in May and November in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.  MayNovemberYearHeadcountFTEHeadcountFTE20133,7283,314.453,7313,336.9620143,7433,310.364,2263,726.6820155,0744,424.134,6944,088.4120164,5123,951.314,2423,709.7120174,4113,871.964,2073,679.76

HM Passport Office: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the projected full-time equivalent staff numbers are for the Passport Office in both peak periods and low season in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s full-time equivalent staff numbers as at end of March 2018, a peak month, were 3643. For the 2018 low season HM Passport Office have approximately 280 full time equivalents working part year contracts. For these, contract breaks can be invoked, pending considerations around requirements across the wider Home Office.Numbers for 2019 and 2020 will be subject to Spending Review planning commencing later this year.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons are for certain posts in the UK Border Force BA to be classified as reserved for people with British Citizenship.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office Policy on non UK national appointments is governed by the Nationality Rules. These are a matter of public record at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307925/nationality-rules_amendedjh101213.pdf

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on applicants of the April 2018 increase in fees for applications from non-EEA nationals for Leave to Remain in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: An updated Impact Assessment for 2018/19 was produced and laid with the Fees Regulations in March - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/330/impactsAll fee changes are agreed with key Government departments, and a Policy Equality Statement (PES) is produced in order to evaluate our fee structure in line with our obligations.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister of State for Immigration plans to respond to the letter of 21 March 2018, reference DL0506, from the hon. Member for Glasgow East.

Caroline Nokes: The hon. Member’s letter of 21 March was received and a response will be issued by 26 April.

Engineers and Scientists: Visas

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136252 on Engineers and Scientists: Visas, for what reason her Department can no longer provide the data in the format contained in the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question 9220.

Caroline Nokes: Data is no longer provided in the format requested. Published data on sponsorship applications can be found in the immigration statistics release. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-sponsorship-restricted-certificate-allocations/allocations-of-restricted-certificates-of-sponsorship

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that it is prepared for the volume of EU citizens living in the UK who apply for (a) an immigration status and (b) residence in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the process for registering EU citizens after the UK leaves the EU will be streamlined.

Caroline Nokes: Protecting the status of EU citizens living in the UK and their families, and UK nationals living in the EU, was always our top priority in negotiations. The Home Office is making good progress in developing the EU Settlement Scheme, which will open by the end of the year. We have been discussing the design of the Scheme with stakeholders, including through our monthly user groups, and user testing has already begun. Work is underway to develop the settled status scheme for EU citizens, and a registration scheme to operate alongside for those arriving during the implementation period.The Home Office constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda and we continue to assess how our priorities will impact on the workforce and capabilities required.We recognise the scale of the challenge, but we already deal effectively with millions of visa, citizenship, passport and immigration status applications each year. Recruitment of additional operating staff is underway to bring existing staffing levels in UK Visas & Immigration to 1,500, ahead of the launch of the Settlement Scheme late this year. With regards to funding, the Chancellor announced in the Spring statement on 13 March that the Home Office will receive a further £395 million funding to prepare for EU exit.

Deportation: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that deportation safeguards are in place for EU citizens (a) before and (b) after June 2021.

Caroline Nokes: On 19 March 2018, we reached agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights as set out in the draft Withdrawal Agreement. The current EEA deportation test of ‘public policy, and public security and public health’ will continue to apply to any criminal activity committed prior to the end of the implementation period. Any criminal activity committed by an EU citizen or their family member after the end of the implementation period will be considered against UK domestic law for non-EEA nationals. During the implementation period, EU citizens will retain all of the procedural safeguards and protections set out in the Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC including a statutory right of appeal against any restriction of their free movement rights. The draft Withdrawal Agreement extends those same protections and safeguards to those resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, who will be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement thereafter.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the number of Tier 2 visas issued; and what representations she has received on increasing the number of Tier 2 visas issued.

Caroline Nokes: We continue to monitor the operation of Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers, to ensure that it strikes the right balance between supporting businesses access the talent from overseas with our commitment to reducing net migration and protecting the domestic labour market. The Home Office receives a high volume of representations on a variety of subjects relating to immigration on a daily basis. It is not possible to provide a running count of the number of representations on a particular topic.

Visas: Migrant Workers

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to provide the Migration Advisory Committee with the (a) number of Tier 2 (General) Certificate of Sponsorship applications since November 2017 and (b) (i) number of and (ii) information on subsequent refusals of those applications due to the cap being reached in each month since November 2017.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Departments have been provided with (a) the number and (b) details of Tier 2 (General) Certificate of Sponsorship refusals as a result of the annual cap being reached since November 2017 to inform those Departments' policy work.

Caroline Nokes: Where the Home Office receive requests for data from Government Departments or non-departmental public bodies such the Migration Advisory Committee, it endeavours to meet their requests if such data is available.We continue to monitor the operation of the Tier 2 visa route to ensure that Tier 2 balances enabling the brightest and best migrants to work in the UK with our commitment to reducing net migration.

Visas: Sports Competitors

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the eligibility of international Kabaddi players for Tier 5 visas.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will meet with representatives of the England Kabaddi Federation to discuss the eligibility of international competitors for the Tier 5 visa.

Caroline Nokes: Home Office officials are already in direct discussions with the England Kabaddi Federation, the sports recognised governing body, regarding the eligibility criteria for professional Kabaddi players in Tier 5 for the upcoming season.

Wales Office

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Questions 136835, 136834, 136836, if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and the Welsh Government, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Department for Transport and the Royal Household relating to his decision to rename the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: My Department corresponded regularly with these organisations on the proposal to rename the Second Severn Crossing and is collating this correspondence for publication. I will write to you when this work is completed.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Consultants

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what external agencies or consultants have been contracted by his Department to carry out work in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

UNRWA

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in maintaining its operation after the recent reduction in funding provided by the US.

Alistair Burt: The UK is unequivocally committed to supporting Palestinian refugees across the region. Over the course of the 2017/18 financial year, the UK provided around £50 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), assisting in their provision of essential services including basic education to around 500,000 children, health services for around 3 million Palestinian refugees and supporting Palestinian refugees from Syria. The UK will deliver its next round of financial support earlier than originally planned, to help meet the growing needs of Palestinian refugees across the region. We are also working with the international community and UNRWA to explore how best to ensure the continuity of essential services to Palestinian refugees at this time.

Developing Countries: Coal Fired Power Stations

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2018 to Question 128376, on Developing Countries: Coal Fired Power Stations, what support her Department provides to developing countries fully deploying abated coal-fired power projects.

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February to Question 128376, on Developing Countries: Coal Fired Power Stations,what steps her Department is taking to encourage multilateral organisations to provide financing for projects fully deploying abated coal-fired power; and if she will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID does not provide any bilateral assistance to developing countries for abated coal-fired projects. The UK encourages multilateral organisations to help developing countries make the investment decisions that will best deliver reliable, sustainable and affordable energy which is essential for economic growth and development. The Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy is supporting research and demonstration, including through the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, into Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage technology.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many IT systems which her Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps she is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Mr Shailesh Vara: My department has no IT systems which are over three years of age.

Northern Ireland Office: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which regulations her Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Karen Bradley: My Department has not introduced any regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016.We do not expect to introduce any regulations as a result of EU legislation in 2018 and 2019.

Sinn Fein

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has had with the Leader of the House on bringing a motion before the House to reduce the representative money paid to Sinn Fein; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Under a resolution of the House, brought forward under the previous Labour Government in 2006, financial assistance is provided to opposition parties represented by Members who have chosen not to take their seats.It is this Government's view that this issue is primarily a matter for the House itself to resolve.

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what meetings she has held with the leaders of each of the political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly since the collapse of the talks in mid February 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to initiate talks between the main political parties in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: I met Northern Ireland’s five largest political parties on Thursday 26th April. I reviewed the current position with them and explored how we might achieve the restoration of devolution while ensuring the good governance of Northern Ireland in the interim.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Elections

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will clarify her plans on the use of her statutory power to call Northern Ireland Assembly Elections; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It remains our overriding priority to see devolution fully restored in Northern Ireland, so that a new Executive can take decisions on a range of strategic issues in the interests of the whole community. In the meantime the Secretary of State continues to keep under review her statutory obligation to set a date for an Assembly election.

Northern Ireland Policing Board

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she has taken to support the Northern Ireland Policing Board since the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: I have met with the Chair of the Policing Board, and have discussed this matter with the Chief Constable. Both are keen that political representation on the Policing Board should be restored as soon as possible to ensure proper governance and accountability. I have also raised this issue with party leaders. We are exploring with them, the Department of Justice and others what can be done in the absence of the Executive. This again demonstrates why it is so important that devolved government is restored so that local people can oversee local policing issues.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Pay

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reasons she did not exercise her power to cut the salaries of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State has used her power to make a determination on MLA salaries under the Northern Ireland Assembly Members (Pay) Act 2018 to prevent an automatic inflationary increase from applying on 1 April. She is currently considering what further steps to take, alongside other pressing matters arising from the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive.

Treasury

VAT

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been lost to the public purse as a result of non-payment of VAT from (a) EU and (b) non-EU trade in the last available year.

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss of excise revenue from smuggling EU and non-EU goods from (a) EU trade and (b) non-EU trade in the last available year.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not available. HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC) latest estimates of excise and VAT revenue lost in 2015-16 can be found in the summary of the ‘Measuring tax gaps’ publication, available at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps. Estimates of the amount of VAT lost to Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud are available in Chapter 2 of the same publication.

Imports

Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of imports from non-EU countries are inspected by (a) physical and (b) electronic means for customs purposes.

Mel Stride: Almost all commercial importations are subject to an electronic customs declaration. Goods carried by passengers, items of post and some other low risk imports are handled by different means. Electronic declarations are subject to risk assessment which selects consignments that warrant additional control activity. For operational reasons, details of that risk assessment and the resulting action must remain confidential. In the last 12 months, this risk based approach has ensured that less than 1% of consignments were subjected to physical inspection by Border Force for customs purposes.

Gannett UK and Newsquest Media Group: Taxation

Bill Wiggin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC plans to investigate the tax status of Gannett Corporation and the losses at Newsquest.

Bill Wiggin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC last investigated Newsquest's tax status.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a strong track record in tackling avoidance, fraud and evasion and non-compliance in the system. Since 2010, HMRC compliance activity has brought in more than £175 billion which would otherwise have gone unpaid. HMRC cannot comment on the tax affairs of identifiable businesses given their duty of maintaining taxpayer confidentiality.

Treasury: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

John Glen: HM Treasury has introduced 41 regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016. In 2018, we expect to introduce a further 5 regulations beyond those already laid this year. The number of regulations to be introduced in 2019 is subject to ongoing negotiations. All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk.

Taxation: Domicile

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new people registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2015-16; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2015-16.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2015-16; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2015-16.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new people registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2016-17; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2016-17.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2016-17; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2016-17.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new people registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2017-18; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2017-18.

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered as non-domicile for tax purposes in 2017-18; and how much (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) national insurance contributions was paid by those people for tax purposes in 2017-18.

Mel Stride: Information on the number and tax paid by non-domiciled taxpayers in the UK is contained within Table 1 of the Official Statistics publication “Statistics on Non-domiciled Taxpayers in the UK” found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk The latest year for which figures are available is 2014-15. Figures for subsequent years are intended for publication in the annual update made in July each year. Information on the estimated number and tax paid of individuals that have claimed non-domiciled status for the first time can be found in the table attached for the previous five years up until 2014/15. Capital Gains Tax information on non-domiciled first time claimants cannot be released as this may risk the identification of individuals due to the small numbers involved.



additional table
(Word Document, 15.43 KB)

Occupational Pensions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of firms that operate self-invested personal pension schemes for individuals which have ceased operating within the past two years.

John Glen: HMRC does not hold the information requested. HMRC does not hold information that allows them to identify self-invested personal pensions separate from overall personal pensions.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will arrange for the hon. Member for Slough to receive a response to his letter of 22 March 2018, reference TD2873, sent to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on behalf of a constituent.

Elizabeth Truss: I have replied to the hon. Member. A copy of my reply has also been sent by email.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135820, on Children: Day Care, how much was spent each month on (a) call centre support and (b) IT support for (i) tax-free childcare and (ii) 30 hours of free childcare.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of administering childcare vouchers in each of the last 36 months.

Elizabeth Truss: For question 137635, I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Honourable Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North on 1 March 2018 (129635). The table below provides the breakdown of the costs for administering the childcare service each month by call centre and IT support cost. This includes the costs of supporting both Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare. MonthCall Centre Costs[1] (£)IT Support Costs (£)Total Costs (£)April 17936,2751,001,4881,937,763May 171,158,1961,136,1452,294,341June 171,333,1351,136,1452,469,280July 171,572,4581,252,3442,824,802August 171,955,6591,336,1453,291,804September 172,362,9971,459,8613,822,858October 171,882,7431,136,1453,018,888November 172,261,7951,218,0643,479,859December 172,029,7761,200,1043,229,881January 182,555,3261,174,8783,730,204February 182,209,5771,174,8783,384,455March 182,338,0051,174,8783,562,783 [1] This includes Childcare Service Operations (CSO) Paybill and covers other work such as administration and processing costs

Overseas Trade: China

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2017 to Question 118571, on Overseas Trade: China, whether the Government has made an alternative estimate to that provided by OLAF for alleged duty loss.

Mel Stride: This issue is the subject of a letter of formal notice of infraction from the Commission as the first stage in possible legal proceedings. The government is carefully examining the formal notice and will respond to the Commission in due course. The government does not recognise the Commission’s estimate of alleged duty loss.

Income Tax

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of taxpayers who are paying an effective marginal rate of tax on income in excess of (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 60 and (d) 70 per cent once account has been taken of tax arrangements relating to pension contributions in the most recent tax year for which data is available.

John Glen: HMRC publishes statistics on income tax liabilities, including by marginal income tax rates. These can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilities-by-taxpayers-marginal-rate The Reduced (tapered) pensions annual allowance was introduced in 2016-17 for individuals with income of over £150,000 including the value of any pensions contributions. HMRC does not hold information on the effective marginal rate of tax of individuals who have been subject to the Reduced (tapered) pensions annual allowance, as the effective rate an individual faces depends on numerous other factors. The Tax Impact and Information Note for this measure, published in 2015, detailed that around 300,000 pension savers could be affected by this measure: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-tapered-annual-allowance/pensions-tapered-annual-allowance

Tobacco: Taxation

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's consultation on the tax treatment of heated tobacco products, published on 20 March 2017, whether he is taking steps to introduce a new category for heat-no-burn tobacco products; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The Government published its response to the consultation on the tax treatment of heated tobacco products on 13 March 2018, setting out its intention to create a new category for these type of tobacco products within the duty regime. Details can be found in the consultation response document available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tax-treatment-of-heated-tobacco-products

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

5G: Cybercrime

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion he has had with his counterparts in other EU member states on cyber security risks relating to 5G mobile networks.

Margot James: 5G will introduce technologies which operate and communicate in innovative ways that have not been deployed at scale before, but which are anticipated ​to​ ​become​ ​commonplace​ ​in​ ​the​ ​next​ ​decade. Security is an important aspect of any new technology, not least digital connectivity.The Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021) sets out ambitious policies to protect the UK in cyberspace, backed with £1.9 billion investment. The UK remains fully engaged with our EU counterparts, and we have been discussing the security aspects of the European Electronic Communications Code with member states. The DCMS 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme will also include £10 million to create capabilities where the security of 5G Networks can be tested and proven, working with the National Cyber Security Centre.

Gaming Machines

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures – formal advice, published by the Gambling Commission in March 2018, when he plans to announce a decision on reducing the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals.

Tracey Crouch: On 31 October 2017 the government published proposals for changes on gaming machines and social responsibility measures. We were clear that we see a case for action on fixed-odds betting terminals, and the consultation outlined a range of options including cutting the maximum stake from £100 to between £50 and £2. The consultation closed on 23 January. On 19 March the Gambling Commission published its advice and the Government will consider this alongside the responses received by the consultation and will publish its response in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Margot James: My department has introduced eight regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016. In 2018, we expect to introduce one further regulation. In 2019, we expect to introduce one regulation. However, the exact number is subject to ongoing negotiations. All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Independent review of Full-Time Social Action, published in January 2018, what plans his Department has to establish a Ministerial group on youth full-time social action.

Tracey Crouch: We are considering the recommendations in the Full Time Social Action Review’s report, including the recommendation regarding the establishment of a ministerial group. The Government Response to the Review’s report will be published in due course.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to make an assessment of the effect of participation in National Citizen Service on the level of young people taking part in youth full-time social action.

Tracey Crouch: The NCS Trust’s online Opportunity Hub matches young people who have graduated from the NCS programme to further opportunities, including full time social action opportunities. DCMS is carefully considering the recommendations made by the recently published independent Review of Full Time Social Action by Young People and will respond in due course.

Mobile Phones: Ochil and South Perthshire

Luke Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many mobile phone masts there are in Ochil and South Perthshire constituency.

Margot James: I refer the hon member to the answer to written question 133562 answered on 28th March.

Licensing Laws

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what powers of enforcement local authorities have when a premises with a Temporary Event Notice exceeds the number of people permitted on site during the notice period.

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what powers local authorities have to place on those premises that apply for a Temporary Events Notice conditions to tackle (a) noise, (b) sanitation and (c) water issues.

Margot James: Local Authorities have the power to enforce counter notices, prosecute and issue fines if the agreements, including maximum capacity, set out in the Temporary Events Notice are violated. Local Police and Environmental Health have the authority to issue a counter notice or intervene to prevent an event taking place by sending an objection to the licensing authority. The Police are also able to rely on their powers of closure under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Gift Aid

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to limit the fees charged by online fundraising platforms on Gift Aided money; and if he will make a statement.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the transparency of the fees charged by online fundraising platforms on Gift Aided money, and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Online fundraising platforms raise significant funds for charitable causes, but need to ensure high standards of transparency so that members of the public can make informed choices about their giving. The Fundraising Regulator and the Charity Commission are working with online fundraising platforms to set high standards, improve transparency and provide guidance. The platforms have confirmed their commitment to transparency on fees and charges. There are currently no plans to limit the fees charged.

Tourism: Expenditure

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount spent by his Department on promoting regional tourism in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain and VisitEngland do not hold a breakdown of spending at local level and DCMS do not hold information of spending at local authority level - this is held by the Ministry for Housing, Central and Local Government.

Information Commissioner: Finance

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much central government funding was provided to the Information Commissioners Office in each of the last three years; what what central government funding is planned to be provided to that Office in each of the next three years.

Margot James: The ICO is predominantly funded through charges levied on data controllers (the notification fee, to be replaced with the data protection charge when the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 come into force on 25th May 2018). The Government provides Grant in Aid funding to the ICO in respect of 4 distinct regulatory obligations: Freedom of Information; eIDAS, the Investigatory Powers Act and Networks and Information Systems (NIS) (for 2018/19 onwards). The funding for the previous 3 years and the projected funding for the next 2 years are summarised below:2015/16 (actual2016/17 (actual)2017/18 (actual)*2018/19 (forecast)*2019/20 (forecast)*2020/21 (forecast)*See ICO’s annual accounts: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/annual-reports/See ICO’s annual accounts: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/annual-reports/£3,795k** The ICO are due to lay their accounts before Parliament on 3rd July 2018£4,250k**£4,250kAs this is outside of the current Spending Review period, it is not possible to supply forecasted funding figures.* These figures do not include the Investigatory Powers Act funding which is provided directly by the Home Office.**An advance of £1.4m Programme GiA funding was provided in 2017/18, and is offset by a reduction of £1.4m in 2018/19. This has not been reflected in the figures above.

Broadband: Voucher Schemes

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the criteria are for accessing his Department’s Nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Margot James: The scheme is mainly aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as defined by EU competition rules. Residents may also benefit from the scheme but only as part of a pre-registered project. This is a shared solution in which the majority of the value of vouchers is expected to go to SMEs.The scheme is supplier-led which means that beneficiaries should approach a registered supplier in order to utilise the scheme. Supplier registration is open, so if a business or resident wishes to take advantage of the scheme and their chosen supplier is not currently taking part then they should be encouraged to do so. The full details of the scheme criteria are listed on our website at https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk.

Data Protection

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what impact assessment Department has conducted on the estimated cost to (a) Government Departments, (b) companies, (c) charities, (d) political parties and (e) voluntary organisations of the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Margot James: In 2012 the Ministry of Justice (which then had policy responsibility for data protection) completed a full impact assessment on GDPR, the results of which are published here: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/data-protection-proposals-cfe/results/eu-data-protection-reg-impact-assessment.pdf.  Further to this initial assessment, Government has undertaken a number of impact assessments on specific areas of data protection policy, but there have not been any completed which would provide an assessment of the overall impact of GDPR on the particular stakeholder groups highlighted in the question.

Prime Minister

Jagtar Singh Johal

Jo Swinson: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135934, for what reason she did not raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal during her bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mrs Theresa May: I did raise Mr Johal’s case with Prime Minister Modi during our bilateral on the 18 April, including concerns about his treatment.

Commonwealth

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Prime Minister, what are her objectives are for her two years as the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the right hon. Member to my speech on 20 April and which is available on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speaks-at-commonwealth-press-conference-20-april-2018